Two-thirds of students at a new inner-south Brisbane school live outside the catchment area and just half of the students at another new city college reside outside the zone, while nearby schools are gripped by enrolment pressure.
About 67 per cent of the 471 Year 7 and 8 students who enrolled at Brisbane South State Secondary College this year were not from the designated catchment area.
The proportion of out-of-catchment students slightly increased from 65 per cent when the school opened last year, according to education department data.
Meanwhile, about half of the 442 new Year 7, 8 and 9 students at Fortitude Valley State Secondary College, which opened in 2020, were from within the catchment.
Nearby Kelvin Grove State College has 1,422 middle school students and 1,390 senior students, with a total school population of 3,537 this year, according to school P&C meeting minutes.
The state government has previously said the new schools would help alleviate enrolment pressure at inner city schools.
Brisbane State High School received 50 enrolment requests from students on the first day of term this year when it had more than 500 Year 7 students starting.
The school had 3,437 students in total, which was a slight decrease from last year "and part of a deliberate strategy to reduce numbers", a school newsletter entry written by executive principal Wade Haynes said.
Brisbane State High council member David Gillespie said the school had more local enrolments than ever before.
"The school has a certain capacity and that hasn't changed and the more people who are enrolled and say they are locals, the less the school can admit from outside the catchment," Mr Gillespie said.
"So academic, music and sport entries all have to be cut back and eventually we will run out of those places as well, and you have too many people, who say they are local, for the spaces."
Fears for enrolment pressure
Mr Gillespie said the Brisbane State High catchment had reduced in size but enrolment growth was accelerating.
"With the current trajectories, at some point there won't be any way to enter the school other than by saying you're a local and at some point beyond that in the near future … our fear is that people who are genuinely local will have to enter into a lottery to attend the school," he said.
"There is undoubtedly population growth in our catchment but it is nowhere near as high as the growth in local enrolments."
New schools 'well-regarded'
Education Minister Grace Grace said all state schools were required to enrol students who lived locally before accepting any students outside of the catchment.
"Out of catchment students may apply and be accepted should the school have capacity to accept students from outside of the catchment."
An Education Department spokesperson said Brisbane State High School and Kelvin Grove State College had enrolment management plans in place.
"Schools are responsible for determining whether a student is entitled to be enrolled at the school on the basis of the requirements outlined under their enrolment management plans and within the enrolment capacity of the schools," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said any prospective student whose principal place of residence was within the school's catchment was entitled to enrol at that school.
