What actually makes a school good (it's not what you think)
Research shows belonging, teacher quality and leadership make schools good, not fees or facilities.
A former principal who spent 32 years in schools says the pressure parents feel to pick private schools was manufactured, not discovered. The consistent predictors of good outcomes are relational culture where students feel safe, stable teachers, strong leadership and shared purpose, none owned by private schools or listed in fee schedules.
Visit a school on an ordinary Tuesday, not open day. Watch how teachers talk to students.
Ask parents with similar kids if their child feels known there. On funding: Victoria and NSW government schools won't receive full funding until 2034.
Currently Victoria is the lowest-funded public system in the country. Public schools serve 2.4 times more disadvantaged students and 2.7 times more First Nations students than private schools.
Canada sends 92 per cent of its children to public schools without suffering for it.
- 32 years
- Years in education
- 2034
- Victoria full funding date
- 2.4 times more in public schools
- Disadvantaged students ratio
- 2.7 times more in public schools
- First Nations students ratio
Why it mattersThe perception gap between school sectors isn't natural, it was built by decades of funding choices that pushed parents toward private options.
AustraliaMillions of Australian parents face this decision every year. Understanding what research actually shows changes where families send their children and how strong local schools stay.
