The number of school students staying in school until year 12 has gone up for the first time in almost 10 years, new figures show.
The data, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), shows the overall growth in the proportion of students staying from year 10 until year 12 was largely driven by students at government schools, which was up 1.3 percentage points to 74.3% in 2024.
In another positive sign that pressures on staff and students may be starting to ease, the data also revealed an increase in the number of classroom teachers, and more people wanting to work in the profession.
The average student-to-teacher ratio has fallen to a new low since 2006 of 12.9 students to one teacher. In 2024, Australian schools had 320,377 full-time equivalent teaching staff – a 2.8% rise from 2023.
This follows recent analysis of preliminary data from the Department of Education that showed both applications and offers are up for people wanting to study an undergraduate course in education. Overall, preliminary results from tertiary admission centres are showing a 7% increase in applications and a 14% increase in offers compared to 2024.
In recent years, Federal, State, and Territory governments have been working together to address the nation’s teacher shortage through the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan. Additionally, there have been steps to improve teachers’ pay, workloads, and encourage more teachers into the profession through scholarships and providing financial support for teaching students while they do the prac part of their course.
“This is good news. We are starting to see things heading in the right direction for the first time in almost a decade. The Liberals ripped the guts out of school funding, called our teachers duds and did nothing to lift standards,” Federal Education Minister, Jason Clare, said in a statement.
“We are starting to turn this around but there is a lot more to do.”
Donna King, Head Professor of the Australian Catholic University’s School of Education, says the ACU – Australia’s largest provider of initial teacher education – has experienced strong interest in its range of teaching programs this year.
“I am optimistic that, as reflected in the figures released by Minister Clare and our own experience at ACU, we are seeing positive signs for the future of what is a highly rewarding, dynamic, and meaningful career,” Professor King told The Educator.
“We are doing everything we can by working with our government, Catholic, and Independent school partners and other education stakeholders to help our students become the teachers of today and tomorrow.”
Professor King said while efforts to reduce teacher workloads are being mad, teachers need adequate support and tools to address diverse student needs and stay current with evidence-based practices to enhance teaching effectiveness and student outcomes.
“To meet this need for continued upskilling, ACU provides professional learning for all in-service teachers including a range of short courses and micro-credentials in key areas including advanced classroom management, STEM education, and literacy.”