Public and private education in Australia

Schools in Australia can be classified according to sources of funding and administrative structures. There are three such categories in Australia: Public Schools (also known as 'Government' schools or 'State' schools), Independent Schools (informally known as 'private' schools) and Catholic schools.

Common points of Confusion

While Catholic Schools are deemed to be a separate schools category within the education sector, some Independent Schools are affiliated with Catholicism. Within the Independent School category, there are schools affiliated with a wide array of religious denominations, while some have no religious affiliations. Public Schools in Australia are secular, although they may offer optional religious education.

The vast majority of Independent Schools receive Government funding. However, in Independent Schools, this Government funding is typically supplemented by fees charged to parents or caregivers of the students, and these fees are typically much higher than those charged to attend Government Schools.

The term 'Public Schools' may very occasionally be used in Australia to represent 'Independent Schools' (after the English use of the term) for example in the Associated Public Schools of Victoria. However, this is an atypical usage.

There is differing status attached to attending schools within the different sectors, although this varies between the States (for example, in Victoria, attending an Independent School may be associated with high status, whereas it may not be noteworthy in some other states). Also, there is variation between the schools within each category in terms of the status afforded to attending that school (for example, attending a Public School with selective admission based on academic ability would typically be thought of as associated with a higher status than attending a public school that does not have selective admission; attending an Independent School that charges high fees would typically be thought of as holding more status than attending a school that charges low fees).

Primary/Secondary

At primary and secondary level government schools educate the majority of students. The major part of their costs is met by the relevant State or Territory government. Private schools, both religious or secular (the latter often with specialisations), may charge higher fees. Regardless of whether a school is government or private, it is regulated by the same curriculum standards framework. Most schools, government and private, enforce a uniform or dress code, although there are varying expectations.

Government

Government (or state) schools are run by the respective state government. They offer free education; however, many schools ask parents to pay a voluntary contribution fee. They can be divided into two categories: open and selective school. The open schools accept all students from their government-defined catchment areas, and teach using the CSF. Many open government schools have selective classes in which well performing students are offered extended and accelerated work. Selective government schools are considered more prestigious than open government schools. They have high entrance requirements and cater to a much larger area. Entrance to selective schools is often highly competitive. Some of the renowned selective government schools are Fort Street High School, Sydney Boys High School, Sydney Girls High School, Melbourne High School (2nd in Victoria), Mac.Robertson Girls' High School (1st in Victoria), James Ruse Agricultural High School (1st in NSW), North Sydney Girls High School, Adelaide High School, Marryatville High School and Perth Modern School.

Private

Private schools can also be divided into two groups. Religious systems of education are operated by the , , denominations with there also being a number of other church or parachurch based low fee schools. By far the most numerous are Catholic schools, which are run by the respective state or territories "Catholic Department of Education", although some more prestigious Catholic schools are independent. The rest are known as Independent schools, which are largely Protestant grammar schools. Most Departmental Catholic Schools charge no more than what an average government school would charge, although the larger independent schools are known for charging higher tuition fees. In particular, the major independent schools in each city (such as the APS Schools) charge high fees and are therefore able to afford facilities that government Schools and Departmental Catholic Schools cannot. Funding for independent schools often comes under criticism from the Australian Education Union and the Australian Labor Party because, in addition to their fees, these schools also receive funding from the government. There are also a few Jewish and Islamic schools and a significant number of independent Montessori schools.

Private school fees can vary from under $1,000 per year to $20,000 and upwards.An example of the Catholic Systemic School fees in NSW, which start at $780 per year in 2007 can be seen at: http://www.ceo.syd.catholic.edu.au/cms/Jahia/pid/822

Many other church based schools may begin at under $4,000 per year, one example can be seen at: http://www.immanuel.qld.edu.au/fees/ which shows basic fees of $3,720 per year for the years up to year 3.

Tertiary

Both private and public universities can be found in Australia. As of 2006, there are 36 public, 2 Catholic and 1 Non-profit Private universities in Australia. Admissions by Australian citizens to public and Catholic universities in Australia are based on the prospective student's academic achievement. Admission to the private university, Bond University, is dependent on a student’s ability to pay tuition fees as well as academic achievement and "one on one" interviews with admission officers (the only university in Australasia to do this for all students). Melbourne University Private was a whole university developed and owned by a public university to operate under this model.

Domestic students are not usually subject to up-front fees at a public university if enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place. As well as receiving substantial government subsidies to the cost of tertiary education, students in CSP places have the option of deferring their financial contributions to their education completely via the Commonwealth Supported Students scheme. Students may also enrol in a non-Commonwealth Supported Place, known as a FULL-FEE place, and must pay all upfront fees, which are typically greater than a standard Commonwealth Supported Students debt, usually undertaken to reduce academic entrance requirements.