ONE major benefit of sending your child to school in the country is the student to teacher ratio, with Hamilton schools faring better than the state average.
Drawing from enrolment data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Victoria had a total of 2267 schools with 1,011,178 students and 81,1180 teachers in 2021.
From this, My School presented schools’ student-teacher ratios which showed Hamilton’s four secondary schools combined have a smaller number of students enrolled per teacher, with an average of 10.3 pupils to every teacher.
This is comparably favourable to the average for secondary and combined schools across Victoria, including public and private schools, which have a ratio of 11.3 students per teacher.
As shown in the table, collectively, six Hamilton primary schools, plus Tarrington Lutheran School, also fare better than the Victorian Government primary school average number of 13.2 students to every teacher, and the private primary school average of 12.9.
Hamilton’s primary schools combined, plus Tarrington’s, recorded just under 11.2 students for every teacher, with only one primary school scoring above the average of 17.7.
The number of teachers includes those in full-time positions and part-time staff equating to the full time equivalent.
My School contains data on every school in Australia and the information used to compile the student-teacher ratio report came from the peak period of the pandemic.
The recently released National Report on Schooling in Australia 2021 noted teacher and student ratios for individual schools may have been impacted during the aforementioned data period by border closures and or other COVID-19 related educational student enrolment and teacher retention variables.
Secondary schools:
The Hamilton and Alexandra College
Enrolments: 468
Full-Time Equivalent Teachers: 49.1
Teacher/Student Ratio: 9.5
Baimbridge College
Enrolments: 392
Full-Time Equivalent Teachers: 37.6
Teacher/Student Ratio: 10.4
Good Shepherd College – Senior Campus
Enrolments: 221
Full-Time Equivalent Teachers: 21.2
Teacher/Student Ratio: 10.4
Monivae College
Enrolments: 514
Full-Time Equivalent Teachers: 47
Teacher/Student Ratio: 10.9
Primary schools:
The Hamilton and Alexandra College
Enrolments: 468
Full-Time Equivalent Teachers: 49.1
Teacher/Student Ratio: 9.5
Good Shepherd College – Senior Campus
Enrolments: 221
Full-Time Equivalent Teachers: 21.2
Teacher/Student Ratio: 10.4
George Street Primary School – Hamilton
Enrolments: 113
Full-Time Equivalent Teachers: 9.1
Teacher/Student Ratio: 12.4
Tarrington Lutheran School
Enrolments: 118
Full-Time Equivalent Teachers: 9.4
Teacher/Student Ratio: 12.6
Hamilton (Gray Street) Primary School
Enrolments: 221
Full-Time Equivalent Teachers: 16.7
Teacher/Student Ratio: 13.2
St Mary’s School
Enrolments: 221
Full-Time Equivalent Teachers: 16.4
Teacher/Student Ratio: 13.5
Hamilton North Primary School
Enrolments: 211
Full-Time Equivalent Teachers: 11.9
Teacher/Student Ratio: 17.7
Education minister, Natalie Hutchins, said Victoria had the best student/teacher ratio of any state in the nation.
“Small schools play an important role in communities across the state,” she said.
The release of the 2021 figures coincided with the Victorian Government announcing new learning centres for regional teachers.
In what has been hailed as an Australian first, Hamilton and district teachers are set to benefit from a state-wide expansion of the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership model.
A purpose-built academy recently opened in Geelong and six more regional centres will open before the end of Term 1.
The additional regional centres will be established in Bairnsdale, Ballarat, Bendigo, Mildura, Moe and Shepparton, to offer local teachers and school leaders a range of learning initiatives, programs and events dedicated to leadership and teaching excellence.
A Victorian Government spokesperson said the regional centres would consolidate world class skills, from which Hamilton and district teachers can draw benefit and thus, local students would attain better educational outcomes.
