Data Notes

• Class size audits are conducted by CESE (Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation) in March each year. Audits were not conducted in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001.

• Data for 2020 should be treated with caution. The collection took place in March when schools were impacted by COVID-19, so fewer data checks were carried out.

• Students attending schools for specific purposes (SSPs), students in support classes in regular schools and distance education students are excluded from average class size calculations.

• The average class size for each grade is calculated by taking the number of students in all classes that a student from that grade is in (including composite/multi age classes) divided by the total number of classes that includes a student from that grade. This can result in a lower Kindergarten to Year 6 average class size than any individual year level.

• From 2017, school size is based on primary enrolment rather than school classification.

• Schools change size, so data in Table 2 is not necessarily comparable to previous iterations in earlier fact sheets.

Data Source

Education Statistics and Measurement, Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

Data quality statement

The Class Size Audit Data Quality Statement addresses the quality of the Class Size Audit dataset using the dimensions outlined in the NSW Department of Education's data quality management framework: institutional environment, relevance, timeliness, accuracy, coherence, interpretability and accessibility. It provides an overview of the dataset's quality and highlights any known data quality issues.

The master dataset contains comprehensive information for all government schools in NSW. Data items include school locations, latitude and longitude coordinates, school type, student enrolment numbers, electorate information, contact details and more.

This dataset is publicly available through the Data NSW website, and is used to support the School Finder tool.

Data Notes:

• Data relating to healthy canteen is no longer up to date as it is no longer updated by the Department, this data can be sourced through NSW health.

• Student enrolment numbers are based on the census of government school students undertaken on the first Friday of August; and LBOTE numbers are based on data collected in March.

• School information, such as addresses and contact details, are updated regularly as required, and are the most current source of information.

• Data is suppressed for indigenous and LBOTE percentages where student numbers are equal to, or less than five indicated by "np".

• NSSC out of scope schools will not have an enrolment figure.

• NSSC and LBOTE figures are updated annually in December.

• ICSEA values are updated every February with the previous year's ICSEA values. Small schools, SSPs and Senior Secondary schools do not have their ICSEA values published by ACARA.

• Family Occupation and Educational Index (FOEI) is a school-level index of educational disadvantage. Data is extracted in May and values are updated annually in December.

• Following the introduction of part-time study in secondary schools in 1993, student enrolments are generally reported in full-time equivalent units (FTE). The FTE for students studying less than 10 units, the minimum workload, is determined by the formula: 0.1 x the number of units studied and represented as a proportion of the full-time enrolment of 1.0 FTE.

Data Source:

• Education Statistics and Measurement. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

Data Notes:

• Data tables from 2016 onwards report school size by number of students. The previous “school classification” is no longer applicable.

• Primary schools enrol students in Kindergarten to Year 6.

• Secondary schools generally enrol students in Years 7 to 12, although some secondary schools only enrol students in the senior years, i.e. Years 11 to 12 or the junior years, i.e. Years 7 to 10 (NSW School of Languages, Aurora College and Centre of Excellence in Agricultural Education are included in the ‘Other’ category under Secondary Schools. These schools do not have census enrolments.) .

• Central/community schools have primary and secondary departments and may be established where there is an enrolment in secondary classes of 20 or more. Enrolments in primary departments and secondary departments are included with the appropriate student data.

• Schools for specific purposes (SSPs) are for students with specific needs. Most SSPs have permanent enrolments and include schools for students with intellectual (mild, moderate and severe) and physical disabilities, visual or hearing impairment, behaviour disorders or emotional disturbance, and students in juvenile justice centres. Some SSPs have no permanent enrolments because the children temporarily attending them are enrolled and counted in their own schools. These are mainly hospital schools.

Data Source:

• Schools and Students: Statistical Bulletin. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

Data Notes:\r \r * Primary schools enrol students in Kindergarten to Year 6.\r \r * Secondary schools generally enrol students in Years 7 to 12, although some secondary schools only enrol students in the senior years, that is, Years 11 to 12 or the junior years, that is, Years 7 to 10.\r \r * Central/community schools have primary and secondary departments and may be established where there is an enrolment in secondary classes of 20 or more.\r \r * Alexandria Park Community School, Batlow Technology School, Dubbo School of Distance Education, Evans River Community School, Hunter School of Performing Arts, Lucas Heights Community School and Wadalba Community School are included with central/community schools.\r \r * Norfolk Island Central School was included in NSW data for the first time in 2016. It has not been designated an SA4 group, so is only included in the NSW total.\r \r * Schools for specific purposes (SSPs) are for students with specific needs. \r \r * Environmental Education Centres (EECs) provide environmental education for students, but do not have full time enrolments. \r \r * Since 2014, the department has used a geographical structure based on the new ABS Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). Groups of ASGS Statistical Area 4 (SA4) boundaries in NSW have been combined into 11 groups for reporting and publication of department data. Previous publications compared enrolments in DEC regions. \r \r Data Source:\r \r * Schools and Students: Statistical Bulletin . Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.\r

Multi-age classes are made up of students drawn from different year levels. They may be established because of the uneven pattern of enrolment in the school, because of the small size of the school or where it’s considered that mixing students of different ages is academically and socially advantageous.

Data Notes:

• Multi-age or composite class data for individual schools was not published for 2020. The collection took place in March 2020 when school operations were severely impacted by COVID-19, so the department did not follow up potential errors in class size or class structure with numerous schools.

• The 2024 class size factsheet with state level aggregate data has been published and is available here: https://data.nsw.gov.au/data/dataset/nsw-education-average-government-primary-school-class-sizes-by-school-size

• Multi-age classes are often designed to match the organisation of the syllabus, which is based on ‘stages’ running over two years.

• From 2017, school size is based on primary enrolment rather than school classification.

• Historical data displays the data that was correct in that year.

Research suggests that:

• Class organisation "...will not determine either educational advantage or disadvantage..." (NSW DET 1997).

• The most important factors in determining student success are the quality of the teacher and his or her teaching. (Hattie, 2003)

Multi-age classes may benefit students both socially and emotionally. NSW consistently performs above the national average in NAPLAN testing.

Data source: Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation. NSW Department of Education.

The attendance rate is defined as the number of actual full-time equivalent student days attended by full-time school students in Years 1–10 as a percentage of the total number of possible …Show full descriptionThe attendance rate is defined as the number of actual full-time equivalent student days attended by full-time school students in Years 1–10 as a percentage of the total number of possible student-days attended. Data Notes: Attendance data for NSW government schools only. The attendance rate is calculated as (1 minus absences divided by enrolled days) multiplied by 100. This data includes the student attendance rate for semester 1, semester 2 and the full year. * Students were learning from home for extended periods during Semester 2 2021 due to COVID-19. As a result, attendance rates for Semester 2 and full year are not reliable and have not been published. * 2020 data is not provided because students were encouraged to learn from home for several weeks in Semester 1. * For more detail on how attendance data for 2020 and 2021 were affected by COVID-19, please refer to CESE factsheets: ‘Effects of COVID-19 on attendance during Semester 1 2020’ and ‘2021 Semester 1 student attendance'. All students in Years 1 to 10 in NSW government schools are regarded as full-time. Kindergarten, Year 11, Year 12 students have been excluded in the attendance rates. Ungraded (support) student attendance rates are included as a separate row and excluded from Primary and Secondary totals. Ungraded students in NSW government schools are classified as either primary or secondary according to their level of education. Distance education and Schools for Special Purposes’ attendance data is not currently collected. Bushfires affected many schools' attendance in Term 4 2019 and should be taken into account when comparing Semester 2 data to other years. Prior to 2018 absences equalled ‘all full day absences for the period in question’. From 2020, students in mainstream support classes are reported by their underlying grade of enrolment. Students in schools for specific purposes (SSPs) are included as 'ungraded'. In 2021 attendance figures were calculated differently to align with the third edition of ACARA’s National Standards for Student Attendance Data and Reporting. As a result, data is not directly comparable to previous years. The Department implemented an automated attendance feed (AAF) system in Semester 1 2021. The AAF has significantly improved data quality in 2021, which has affected data comparability with previous years. ** Note** In 2018, NSW government schools implemented the national standards for student attendance data reporting. This resulted in a fall in attendance rates for most schools due to the inclusion of partial absences and accounting for student mobility in the calculation. Data for 2018 is not directly comparable with earlier years. Source: Education Statistics and Measurement. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

The class size audit is conducted in all NSW government primary, infant and central (primary grades only) schools in March each year.

Data notes

• Students attending schools for specific purposes (SSPs), students in support classes in regular schools and distance education students are excluded from average class size calculations.

• The average class size for each year level is calculated from regular and multi-age classes that contain a student from that year level. This can result in a lower K-6 average class size than any individual year level.

• From 2017, school size is based on primary enrolment rather than school classification.

• Data from earlier years is not replaced in the Class Size fact sheet. Schools change size. Historical data displays the data that was correct in that year.

• Refer to the individual class size factsheet publication for further information and policy context.

Data source

Education Statistics and Measurement Unit, Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

Data quality statement

The Class Size Audit Data Quality Statement addresses the quality of the Class Size Audit dataset using the dimensions outlined in the NSW Department of Education's data quality management framework: institutional environment, relevance, timeliness, accuracy, coherence, interpretability and accessibility. It provides an overview of the dataset's quality and highlights any known data quality issues.

Data Notes:

• Primary schools enrol students in Kindergarten to Year 6.

• Secondary schools generally enrol students in Years 7 to 12, although some secondary schools only enrol students in the senior years, that is, Years 11 to 12 or the junior years, that is, Years 7 to 10.

• Central/community schools have primary and secondary departments and may be established where there is an enrolment in secondary classes of 20 or more.

• Alexandria Park Community School, Batlow Technology School, Dubbo School of Distance Education, Evans River Community School, Hunter School of Performing Arts, Lucas Heights Community School and Wadalba Community School are included with central/community schools.

• Norfolk Island Central School was included in NSW data for the first time in 2016. It has not been designated an SA4 group, so is only included in the NSW total.

• Schools for specific purposes (SSPs) are for students with specific needs.

• Environmental Education Centres (EECs) provide environmental education for students, but do not have full time enrolments.

• Since 2014, the department has used a geographical structure based on the new ABS Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). Groups of ASGS Statistical Area 4 (SA4) boundaries in NSW have been combined into 11 groups for reporting and publication of department data. Previous publications compared enrolments in DEC regions.

Data Source:

• Schools and Students: Statistical Bulletin. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

This dataset includes the number of enrolments in NSW government schools from 1848 to 2023.

Data Notes:

• Since 1993, some students have enrolled part-time. All enrolments are reported in full-time equivalent (FTE) units and include full-time and part-time students.

• Student enrolments are rounded to the nearest whole number.

• From 1881 to 1907, primary enrolments relate to students undertaking ordinary public school courses. However, post-primary pupils in superior public schools are included in the primary figures. Primary correspondence school (later distance education centres) pupils are also included from 1938, and the school of the air pupils from 1976.

• From 1938, post-primary enrolments relate to student undertaking post-primary courses in high, intermediate high, district, junior high, central, superior public schools and correspondence school (later distance education centres). Pupils undertaking post- primary courses in small primary schools are also included. Evening continuation school pupils are not included.

• For the period from 1881 to 1907 it has not been possible to isolate the number of post-primary pupils in superior public schools and consequently they are included under primary enrolments. This is the reason for the large jump in post-primary enrolments in 1908.

• From 1962 to 1983, all pupils in special schools or classes (except those in some community care schools who were not counted until 1981) are included as appropriate in the primary or post-primary figures and in the total. Since 1984, students in Schools for Special Purposes have been counted separately. Prior to 1962 it was difficult to ascertain if these pupils are included. Children in hospital schools and schools for the physically and intellectually disabled are sometimes included in the primary figures during the late 1950s, but physically and intellectually disabled children in special classes in ordinary schools are included from the late 1940s.

• The enrolment figures between 1848 to 1918 are for the December quarter, with those for 1848 to 1851 and 1866 being estimates. From 1919 the annual census figures are used resulting in a sharp drop in primary and rise in post-primary enrolments in 1919. Pupils from the ACT are included until 1973, at which date they numbered 30,457.

Data source:

• Schools and Students: Statistical Bulletin. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

Data notes

• Data is collected mid-year (census date: first Friday in August) from NSW government schools as per National Schools Statistics Collection (NSCC).

• All primary school students are considered to be full-time.

• From 2020, students in mainstream support classes are reported by their underlying grade of enrolment. Previously, students in support classes in mainstream schools were not included.

• Students in schools for specific purposes (SSPs) are not included.

• Students in distance education and Opportunity Classes (OC) are included with their appropriate grade levels.

• In most scholastic years there are a small number of students in atypical age groups. These have been included in the nearest band. This is indicated with an asterisk. As a result, the sum of each row may not equal the totals reported. See the relevant tables in the Statistical Bulletin for more details.

Data source

Schools and Students: Statistical Bulletin. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

Data Notes:

• Primary schools enrol students in Kindergarten to Year 6.

• Secondary schools generally enrol students in Years 7 to 12, although some secondary schools only enrol students in the senior years, i.e. Years 11 to 12 or the junior years, i.e. Years 7 to 10.

• Central/community schools have primary and secondary departments and may be established where there is an enrolment in secondary classes of 20 or more. Enrolments in primary departments and secondary departments are included with the appropriate student data.

• Schools for specific purposes (SSPs) are for students with specific needs. Most SSPs have permanent enrolments and include schools for students with intellectual (mild, moderate and severe) and physical disabilities, visual or hearing impairment, behaviour disorders or emotional disturbance, and students in juvenile justice centres. Some SSPs have no permanent enrolments because the children temporarily attending them are enrolled and counted in their own schools. These are mainly hospital schools.

Data Source:

• Schools and Students: Statistical Bulletin. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

This dataset includes educational facilities grouped into: PrePrimary Childcare Centre, Kindergarten, Primary School, PreSchool, Secondary Secondary College, Secondary School, High School, Tertiary Tertiary InstitutionOther Academy, Special Needs School, Primary and Secondary School, Community Education Centre, Technical CollegeEducational buildings have ONLY been loaded for QLD, NSW, VIC and TAS due to licensing limitations with other states.

Being a List of the Officers permanently employed on 31st December, 1956, by the Government of New South Wales, under the provisions of the Public Service Act, 1902, excluding Teachers employed in High, Intermediate High, and Primary Schools, General Division Staffs of State Hospitals and Homes and Mental Hospitals, and the Disciplinary Staff of the Prisons Department.

NSW Waterwatch is a school and community based water quality monitoring program, which promotes environmental awareness and action through involvement. Primary schools, high schools, community groups, landholders and other community volunteers can participate in the Waterwatch program. The data they collect is used as an indicator of total catchment health.

NSW Waterwatch is a school and community based water quality monitoring program, which promotes environmental awareness and action through involvement. Primary schools, high schools, community groups, landholders and other community volunteers can participate in the Waterwatch program. The data they collect is used as an indicator of total catchment health.

Data Notes:

• The table includes data from the K-6 Community Languages Program (CLP) and the K-6 Languages Program (non-CLP) collections.

• Students may study more than one language.

• Students in Distance Education and Opportunity Classes (OC) are included with their appropriate grade levels.

• The overall totals for individual languages may include students in support classes.

• Programs in Languages other than English for Years K-6 and the Language Participation for Years 7-9 data collections were not conducted in 2022, in line with the department’s commitment to “clear the decks” for schools in Term 2 2022.

• The data files from 2019 have been updated to include a new column labelled 'School Count', which displays the number of schools that offer/teach the language that year.

Data Source:

• Schools and Students: Statistical Bulletin. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

Data Notes: LBOTE and total (headcount) enrolment figures are collected in March of each year. Most other collections use enrolment data that are collected as part of the Mid Year Census in August. Show full descriptionData Notes: LBOTE and total (headcount) enrolment figures are collected in March of each year. Most other collections use enrolment data that are collected as part of the Mid Year Census in August. The number of LBOTE students enrolled in SSPs are not broken down for each SA4 grouping. These students are, however, included in the Totals for each SA4 Group. Primary students in mainstream support classes are included in Year 3 to 6. Secondary students in mainstream support classes are included in Year 7 to 10. Historical publications of the Statistical Bulletin compared enrolments in DoE regions. Since 2014 these geographies have been discontinued and replaced with a geographical structure based on the new ABS Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). Groups of ASGS Statistical Area 4 (SA4) boundaries in New South Wales have been combined into 11 groups for reporting and publication of department data. For more detailed analysis of students of language background other than English, please refer to Schools: Language diversity in NSW. Data Source: Schools and Students: Statistical Bulletin. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

This table contains education indicators (public primary school student teacher ratio, enrollment rate, high educated persons) for ACT (SA3) and surrounding NSW Councils (LGA) from various sources such as ACARA, ACT Department of Education and Population Census.

A dataset indicating which days from 2004 to 2022 are school holidays in the eight Australian capital cities (Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney). This applies to urban, government school students. The dataset is attached in both .txt format and .rda format.

Each observation represent a date and city. schoolhols is a binary variable (1 if the day occurs during the school holidays, 0 during the school term). school.hols is a factor variable which is 0 if the day occurs during the school term, 1 during the first school holiday period (the first after commencing the school year), 2 during the second, 3 during the third and 4 during the fourth (the summer break). Tasmania prior to 2013 had three instead of four official school terms; where this applies, the Easter break is treated as the first school holiday period (this break was generally longer than usual for school students), with subsequent holiday periods being denoted as the second, third and fourth holiday periods, respectively.

The data for each city was manually collected and combined from the state and territory government webpages included in the references. For any queries regarding this dataset, please do not hesitate to contact the author: matthew.borg@adelaide.edu.au.

Being a List of the Officers permanently employed, on 31st December, 1932, by the Government of New South Wales, under the provisions of the Public Service Act, 1902, excluding Teachers employed in …Show full descriptionBeing a List of the Officers permanently employed, on 31st December, 1932, by the Government of New South Wales, under the provisions of the Public Service Act, 1902, excluding Teachers employed in High, Intermediate High, and Primary Schools.