New figures show that private schools have a major resource advantage over public schools in Queensland. Government funding increases have favoured Catholic and Independent schools over public schools since 2009. Public schools remain massively underfunded for the challenges they face while Independent and Catholic schools are overfunded. The favourable funding for private schools is a key factor behind the enrolment shift to these schools.
Updated figures published by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) show that the total income per student in public schools in 2024 was $20,164 compared to $26,132 per student in Independent schools and $22,649 in Catholic schools [Chart 1]. The total income per student in Independent schools is 30% more than that of public schools and 12% higher in the case of Catholic schools.
Government funding accounts for 72% of the income of Queensland Catholic schools and 57% of the income of Independent schools. In 2024, Catholic schools received $16,356 per student from the Commonwealth and Queensland governments and Independent schools received $14,893.
Commonwealth and Queensland government funding for private schools, adjusted for wage and price increases to estimate the real increase in human and material resources, increased by much more than for public schools between 2009 and 2024. Total government funding increased by $2,932 per student in Catholic schools and by $3,036 per student in Independent schools compared to $2,398 in public schools [Chart 2]. Government funding per student for Independent schools increased by 45.3% and by 37.8% in Catholic schools compared to 23.7% in public schools.
Commonwealth Government funding for Catholic schools increased by $2,847 per student and by $2,979 for Independent schools compared to only $1,327 for public schools. Queensland Government funding for public schools increased by $1,071 per student, by $85 per Catholic student and by $57 per student in Independent schools.
The increase in total income per student in Catholic and Independent schools was much larger than for public schools. It increased by $4,013 in Catholic schools and by $3,253 in Independent schools compared to $2,369 in public schools.
It is disgraceful that governments continue to ensure that Independent schools have a huge resource advantage over public schools when it is public schools that do the heavy lifting in overcoming socio-economic disadvantage to improve equity in education, increase work force skills and strengthen social cohesion. Income per student in Independent schools is 30% higher than in public schools. Government funding provides a significant proportion of this resource advantage. Yet research by Save Our Schools shows that only 12% of Independent students in Queensland are from low income families compared to 33% of public school students (2023 figures). Independent schools enrol only 8% of all low income students in Queensland while public schools account for 82% of these students.
Moreover, only 10% of Independent schools in Queensland are disadvantaged schools (defined as having over 50% of students from the lowest socio-educationally advantage quartile) compared to 33% of public schools. Independent schools account for only 5% of all disadvantaged schools in while public schools account for 90%.
Total income per student in Catholic schools was 12% higher than in public schools in 2024. However, only 14% of Catholic students were from low income families compared to 33% in public schools in 2023. Catholic schools enrol only 10% of all disadvantaged students in Queensland compared to 82% of these students by public schools. In addition, only 7% of Catholic schools are disadvantaged (over 50% of students from the lowest socio-educationally advantage quartile) compared to 33% of public schools. Catholic schools account for only 5% of all Queensland disadvantaged schools compared to 90% by public schools.
The Report on Government Services 2026 shows that 82% of students from low socio-educational families in Queensland, 80% of Indigenous students and 83% of remote and very remote area students are enrolled in public schools.
Private schools have an effective resource advantage because they educate a much smaller proportion of socially disadvantaged students than do public schools. This means that a lower proportion of private school income is absorbed by disadvantaged students and more is available for less disadvantaged students.
Clearly, government funding in Queensland is not being directed at the students and schools most in need.
Historical trends
The pattern of government funding, fees and other income and total income per student have varied between school sectors over the period of 2009 to 2024.
Government funding
Real government (Commonwealth and Queensland government) funding for public schools flatlined from 2009 to 2015, increasing by only $55 per student. There was a more significant increase from $10,192 per student in 2015 to $10.935 in 2018 [Chart 3]. Over the next three years there was only a small increase of $117 per student to $11,052 per student in 2021. Over the next two years it increased by $1,467 per student to $12,519 with little change in 2024.
Commonwealth Government funding steadily increased from 2013 after little change from 2009. It increased from $1,483 per student in 2013 to $2,899 in 2024 despite a small decrease in 2019 [Chart A1 below).
Queensland Government funding was quite variable over the period. It increased by $308 per student between 2009 and 2012 but then fell by $569 per student to 2015. There was a small increase of $107 per student to 2018 and a further increase of $283 to 2020. It then fell by $166 per student in 2021 but increased by $1,217 to 2023. It again fell in 2024, this time by $109 per student.
By contrast, government funding for Catholic and Independent schools increased steadily since 2009.
Funding for Catholic schools increased from $7,758 per student in 2009 to a peak of $10,783 in 2023. It fell to $10,690 in 2024. The increase in funding was entirely due to increased Commonwealth Government funding as Queensland Government funding was virtually unchanged in real terms since 2009 [Chart A2 below].
Government funding for Independent schools increased from $6.698 per student in 2009 to $9,734 in 2024. Independent schools received generous Commonwealth financial assistance during COVID in 2020 under the JobKeeper scheme amounting to $103 million as well as additional cash flow stimulus payments. Funding increased by nearly $1,00 per student during COVID. The overall government funding increase for Independent schools was due to Commonwealth Government increases.
Government funding for Catholic schools as a proportion of funding for public schools increased from 77% in 2009 to 86% in 2020 and reduced to 85% in 2024. The Independent school proportion increased from 66% to 75% in 2020 and has fallen to 78% in 2024.
Fees, charges and other income
Income from fees, charges, donations, investments and other sources in Catholic and Independent schools has increased by more than wage and price increases since 2009 although there has been considerable variation in the case of Independent schools. Adjusting for wage and price increases, this source of income increased by $1,080 per student in Catholic schools and by $216 per Independent school student between 2009 and 2024 [Chart 4]. Income from these sources fell by $30 per student in public schools.
Prior to COVID, income from fees and other private sources increased by $750 per student (adjusted for inflation) in Catholic schools and by $562 in Independent schools. In 2020, this income fell by $228 per student in Catholic schools and by $829 in Independent schools.
JobKeeper and the cash flow stimulus payments allowed Catholic and Independent schools to reduce their fees in 2020. Nominal fees in Catholic schools fell by $233 per student and by $584 in Independent schools. Income from donations and other private sources also fell in 2020 in both sectors. Since 2020, income from fees and other sources have increased faster than inflation in Catholic and Independent schools. Public schools also experienced a drop in income from fees and donations in 2020 from $547 to $404 per student, adjusted for inflation.
Total income
The combination of increasing government funding and income from fees and other private sources has enabled private schools to build a substantial resource advantage over public schools since 2009. In 2009, total income per student, adjusted for inflation, in Catholic schools was $31 per student more than in public schools. By 2024, the advantage had increased to $1,675 per student [Chart 5].
Increased government funding and private income has magnified the resource advantage of Independent schools. In 2009, the total income per student in Independent schools was $3,068 higher than in public schools. By 2024, this had increased to $3,952 and their total income per student was 130% of that of public schools. The resource advantage of Independent schools has declined in recent years as a result of the fall in real income from private sources and increased government funding for public schools.
Despite the small reduction in the resource advantage held by Catholic and Independent schools, public schools remain vastly underfunded for the task they face in educating the large majority of low socio-economic status (SES), Indigenous, remote, very remote and high disability students. As noted above, public schools do the heavy lifting in education but are not funded to do the job.
Underfunding of public schools
In 2026, public schools in Queensland are funded at 87.9% of their Schooling Resource Standard (SRS), the third lowest in the country behind the Northern Territory and Victoria [Chart 6]. The total underfunding for the year is estimated at $1.6 billion. Under the terms of the new bilateral funding agreements, public schools will remain under-funded to 2034 and beyond, although the extent of the underfunding will gradually decline to about $424 million in 2034. By contrast, Catholic and Independent schools in Queensland are overfunded at 102% of their SRS as revealed in figures supplied to Senate Estimates and in the bilateral funding agreement.
Public schools will remain underfunded until at least 2034 because the new bilateral funding agreement between the Commonwealth and Queensland governments allow the Queensland Government to continue to claim non-SRS expenditures as part of its share of funding public schools. It can claim capital depreciation up to 4% of the SRS as part of its share of funding public schools but the percentage share allowed will be reduced annually by small amounts until it is eliminated in 2034.
The Queensland Government is also allowed to claim other non-SRS expenditure as part of its share of funding public schools. It can continue to claim expenditure on the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority and up to 1.8% of the SRS on direct school transport for public school students. These concessions ensure that public schools will still be underfunded in 2034 even though the 4% allowance will end in 2034.
The Commonwealth and the Queensland governments stand condemned for their refusal to fully fund public schools by 2034. It means that children starting school this year will not be fully funded by Year 8 and, possibly, will spend their whole school career underfunded if they remain in the public system. The failure to fully fund public schools maintains inequity in education, increases social segregation and restricts national prosperity and social cohesion.
The Commonwealth and Queensland governments should accelerate the transition to genuine full funding of all public schools. The funding agreements must be revised to give public schools better and fairer funding. The Commonwealth should accelerate the increase in its funding share of the SRS public schools to achieve 25% by 2029 and the Queensland Government should remove the existing 4% and regulatory expenditure allowances by 2029.
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