Australian private school enrolments rise in 2022 as public education numbers drop

New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals as public school enrolments have declined, so too have rates of year 12 completion. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

The proportion of Australian children enrolling in public schools is continuing to decline despite cost-of-living pressures hitting families, new data has revealed.

The latest schools data, released on Wednesday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), found the proportion of students enrolled in government schools dropped from just over 68% in 2002 to to 64.5% last year.