Canberra, our capital city has been growing over the years in population like many other states and territories. Though when a city grows, the suburbs and housing around the area also need to grow as well to provide adequate care, services and many other things to the area. With this in mind, education for each child is an important thing to consider. Each child will need a preschool, primary school, high school and college to attend in Canberra but everyone cannot go to the same institution as it would be overcrowded and not a viable resource to educate the next generation. This is why as the city grows, we have needed to grow in schooling as well. Canberra has 230 different school options across all public, private and specialist to suit every students needs as they grow. But what are the statistics on how many public school’s vs how many private school’s are there in the ACT?
Public education
The public education system (government schools) takes up 77 percent of the Canberra education system, meaning there are 176 different schools to choose from within ACT public schools. Depending on how you view that, it could either be a good thing or a bad thing. The public education system in Canberra however has the highest amount of public preschool’s available for everyone to use. Which then makes it easier to find a space for your child to kick start their learning as there are many options to choose from if you’re planning on going down the ACT Government education route or maybe just trying out different things to see what works and what doesn’t for your family.
Private education
The private education system (non government schools) is considerably smaller than the public system which is unsurprising considering the sheer amount of public school’s available. Non government schools take up 23 percent of all the schools within the ACT. This equates to 54 private Canberra schools. The distinct difference between public education and private education is that private schools require payment of school fees each year whereas public does not. Also some private education institutions offer education for students from preschool all the way through to college which most public schools do not offer. The private education system in Canberra actually has the highest amount of colleges available for students and makes up 62 percent of the college learning options available.
Specialist education
Specialist education is exactly what it says in the title, specialist. Specialist schools are created for students with disabilities or impairments that may need extra care and attention throughout their schooling life. There are only four specialist schools within Canberra with two schools dedicated to primary education and the other two dedicated to secondary/high school education for students learning.
Each school student in the Australian Capital Territory has the same Australian curriculum available to them regardless of what type of school they attend. There are so many options available to try within Canberra across our plethora of school’s to choose from. Choosing the right school for your children comes down to location, educational needs and your core family values. You should do your research before committing to a school. You can check out our article on school zone times in Canberra as part of your research.