According to the ABC, an explosion in the number of high-rise apartments across our capital cities is dramatically driving up student enrolments, resulting in overcrowded schools.
It's a result of the growing number of families with school-aged children opting to live in smaller dwellings closer to the CBD rather than in suburbs.
Australia's largest public high school, located in Brisbane, is reportedly under pressure as thousands of apartments appear in suburbs within its tight catchment.
In just four years, the number of students in Brisbane State High School has jumped from 2,269 to 3,145, resulting in the school being over capacity, despite the recent addition of 40 extra classrooms.
KMPG is producing a report demonstrating enrolment pressures on the school - which is not yet public - and reportedly states that the school will have to accommodate another 1,000 students in the next 10 years.
Also behind the rapid growth in enrolments at BSHS is its strong academic record, which attracts more families into the suburbs of South Brisbane and West End, increasing demand for apartments and exacerbating the overcrowding.
So far the trend is most obvious in the junior years, with KPMG's draft report stating that 40 per cent of classrooms through grades 7 to 10 exceed size targets, according to ABC.
Parents Fake Addresses For Elite School Enrolments
According to a report by The Courier-Mail in December last year, officials are threatening to turn parents to police if they lie about their home address in order to enrol their children in high-demand schools such as Brisbane State High.
Enrolment guidelines for prospective parents at the prestigious Brisbane State High School, published by the Department of Education, warn that parents will be required to sign statutory declarations to provide legal evidence of their child’s eligibility to attend the school.
The School reserves the right to “independently assess, validate or investigate” applications, and those found to be misleading will be turned over to the police.
