Harrisdale Senior High School and St Stephen’s School both recorded more than 2000 enrolments in 2023,joining a list that is currently just seven schools long across Western Australia.
But with increasing enrolment pressures on areas including Mount Lawley and Applecross,it may not be long before this list grows.
For other schools which have been above the 2000 benchmark for a number of years,the 3000 mark is not far off. The latest snapshot of school profile data showed Shenton College enrolled a record 2800 students.
The state Department of Education would not yet reveal if the school had already reached the 3000 mark at the beginning of the 2024 school year,or if any others had reached 2000 enrolments.
Willetton Senior High School was not far behind Shenton,with 2710 students enrolled in 2023,and could also be approaching 3000,although its rate of student growth has been historically lower than Shenton College.
The majority of the 20 biggest schools in the state are government schools,the opposite to the eastern states,including NSW,where the biggest schools are often higher-fee independent schools.
The only two high-fee schools to make WA’s list were Christ Church Grammar School and Hale School,both just over half the size of Shenton College.
St Stephen’s School was the only non-public school to record more than 2000 students and has built two campuses to accommodate them – one in Duncraig and the other in Carramar.
Head of community relations Fairlea Baxter said while the school was large,it had steps in place to create a “small school feel”,including a leadership structure that ensured students received “significant personal attention and pastoral care”,and engagement with parents.
“Both campuses have active waitlists which we attribute to our high-quality teaching staff,holistic approach to education and community focus,” she said.
Department of Education infrastructure executive director Anna Brown said enrolment growth,residential development and capacity at existing government schools was monitored closely.
Secondary schools including Willetton,Rossmoyne,Mount Lawley,Carine,Duncraig and Karratha have all recently undergone significant upgrades to meet enrolment demand as a result.
“Alternative building methods are also being embraced like the $15 million double-storey modular building to help accommodate the growing number of enrolments at Shenton College and the $12 million building at Highgate Primary School,” Brown said.
“In addition,the department is developing a longer-term strategy to address enrolment growth in western suburbs secondary schools,and ensure the necessary long-term plans are in place for education in these areas with growing student numbers.”
She said growth in enrolments at established schools could occur for a variety of reasons including changing demographics,urban infill,the reputation of the school resulting in increased demand,and parent choice.
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