Best In Education 2023

Recognising the education professionals and companies across Australia who have excelled and raised the bar

All throughout 2023, Key Media’s 30-strong Intelligence Unit diligently researched and produced a series of Special Reports, each showcasing the top-performing education professionals and companies across a number of important professional categories.

All of our 172 published reports over the past 12 months have already attracted 2.4 million online pageviews, as we’ve crowned 5,044 deserving winners globally.

In the process, 16,000 readers across Australia have been sent our surveys. The culmination of all that extensive reporting is our annual Best in Education digital edition.

The Best in Education recognises the education award winners from 2023’s Special Reports and features a combined 247 individuals and companies from the sector.

This prestigious list provides a definitive annual collection of those who have delivered outstanding results, introduced new initiatives, refined existing working practices and also acted as a source of inspiration to colleagues.

Winner of Most Influential Educators 2023, Brigit Keel, says, “Being recognised was an incredible honour for myself, and it was a testament to the work and energy that I have poured into both my professional and personal endeavours.

“Winning this award has given me confidence to continue to seek connections with educators both within Australia and globally. I am also looking to focus on the development of programs that foster student empowerment and emphasise the skills of problem-solving, collaboration and creativity.”

This annual guide was curated and published by The Educator.

We also thank the Positive Education Schools Association for their help with our reports.

Below is the Best in Education. We hope you enjoy discovering those who we believe are shining brightest and building a better future for the education industry.

Best In Education 2023

How we choose the best

Each year, our research team sends out thousands of surveys to the education industry, which it then follows up with phone interviews to find out just who the industry thinks is worthy of recognition. The shortlisted finalists are then put in front of our judging panel to help make a final decision on who to include.

2,357,286 Pageviews of the 'Best In' page

216 Surveys we've sent out over the year globally

172 Special Reports we produced over the year globally

About the supporting association

Positive Education Schools Association (PESA)

The Positive Education Schools Association (PESA) is the national peak association for wellbeing in education. It consists of schools, educators, universities, researchers, charities, parents and other community members who share an interest in an evidence-based approach to wellbeing and a commitment to supporting schools, student and the wider community to flourish.

PESA’s vision is for the science of wellbeing and positive psychology to be integrated throughout the education system, enabling all students, schools and communities to flourish. As such, its mission is to lead, promote and foster the implementation and development of positive wellbeing education.

PESA provides its members with the following:

· A community of practice of leading wellbeing educators, researchers and academics

· Free PD and learning for staff delivering wellbeing education
o PESA’s Digital PD & Learning Program provides staff with a 12-month plan for PD and learning in wellbeing education

· A library of free wellbeing education resources
o The latest research, theory and evidence
o Classroom activities, curriculum, programs and strategy examples from leading wellbeing schools

· Ways to demonstrate to prospective parents a school's commitment to an evidenced-based approach to wellbeing
o Parents look to PESA's list of schools to see which schools are implementing an evidenced-based approach to wellbeing

Follow PESA to stay up to date with the latest research and evidence on wellbeing education.