This annual statistical publication presents tables and charts about New South Wales schools and students. Data is from the census of both government and non-government students, undertaken in August each year. Data source: Statistical publications. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

The attendance rate is defined as the number of actual full-time equivalent student days attended by full-time school students in Years 1–10 as a percentage of the total number of possible student-days attended. Data Notes: Attendance data for NSW government schools only. The attendance rate is calculated as (1 minus absences divided by enrolled days) multiplied by 100. This data includes the student attendance rate for semester 1, semester 2 and the full year. Students were learning from home for extended periods during Semester 2 2021 due to COVID-19. As a result, attendance rates for Semester 2 and full year are not reliable and have not been published. 2020 data is not provided because students were encouraged to learn from home for several weeks in Semester 1. For more detail on how attendance data for 2020 and 2021 were affected by COVID-19, please refer to CESE factsheets: ‘Effects of COVID-19 on attendance during Semester 1 2020’ and ‘2021 Semester 1 student attendance'. All students in Years 1 to 10 in NSW government schools are regarded as full-time. Kindergarten, Year 11, Year 12 students have been excluded in the attendance rates. Ungraded (support) student attendance rates are included as a separate row and excluded from Primary and Secondary totals. Ungraded students in NSW government schools are classified as either primary or secondary according to their level of education. Distance education and Schools for Special Purposes’ attendance data is not currently collected. Bushfires affected many schools' attendance in Term 4 2019 and should be taken into account when comparing Semester 2 data to other years. Prior to 2018 absences equalled ‘all full day absences for the period in question’. From 2020, students in mainstream support classes are reported by their underlying grade of enrolment. Students in schools for specific purposes (SSPs) are included as 'ungraded'. In 2021 attendance figures were calculated differently to align with the third edition of ACARA’s National Standards for Student Attendance Data and Reporting. As a result, data is not directly comparable to previous years. The Department implemented an automated attendance feed (AAF) system in Semester 1 2021. The AAF has significantly improved data quality in 2021, which has affected data comparability with previous years. ** Note** In 2018, NSW government schools implemented the national standards for student attendance data reporting. This resulted in a fall in attendance rates for most schools due to the inclusion of partial absences and accounting for student mobility in the calculation. Data for 2018 is not directly comparable with earlier years. Source: Education Statistics and Measurement. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

Data Notes: Data is collected mid-year (census date: first Friday in August) from NSW government schools as per National Schools Statistics Collection (NSSC). From 2020, students in mainstream support classes are reported by their underlying grade of enrolment. Previously, students in support classes in mainstream schools were not included. Students in schools for specific purposes (SSPs) are not included. Students in distance education and Intensive English Centres are included with their appropriate grade levels. OC classes are not included in secondary students. IEC students are included. In most scholastic years there are a small number of students in atypical age groups. For students under 18 years, these have been included in the nearest band. This is indicated with an asterisk. As a result, the sum of each row may not equal the totals reported. See relevant tables in Statistical Bulletin for more details. Data Source: Schools and Students: Statistical Bulletin. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

Data Notes: Based on school of tuition, NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) developed courses only, and includes subjects studied through distance education, the NSW School of Languages and Aurora College. Data derived from NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Life Skills courses are a commitment to extend the curriculum and reporting arrangements that were established for the School Certificate to HSC students with special education needs. Each Life Skills course comprises a 2 Unit Preliminary course and a 2 Unit HSC course. There are no external examinations for Life Skills courses. In 2023, the Total columns include non-binary students. These students are unable to be reported separately due to system limitations. Data Source: Schools and Students: Statistical Bulletin. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

Data notes Data is collected mid-year (census date: first Friday in August) from NSW government schools as per National Schools Statistics Collection (NSCC). All primary school students are considered to be full-time. From 2020, students in mainstream support classes are reported by their underlying grade of enrolment. Previously, students in support classes in mainstream schools were not included. Students in schools for specific purposes (SSPs) are not included. Students in distance education and Opportunity Classes (OC) are included with their appropriate grade levels. In most scholastic years there are a small number of students in atypical age groups. These have been included in the nearest band. This is indicated with an asterisk. As a result, the sum of each row may not equal the totals reported. See the relevant tables in the Statistical Bulletin for more details. Data source Schools and Students: Statistical Bulletin. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

This CESE bulletin presents analysis of students attendance data at New South Wales government schools in semester one. Results are presented for primary and secondary students. Attendance rates are also presented for Aboriginal students, as well as data on absence reasons and attendance levels. Due to COVID-19 Semester 1 2020 data is a break in series and should not be compared to previous years. The Attendance Bulletin was not published in its regular format, and instead CESE published a factsheet, ‘Effects of COVID-19 on attendance during Semester 1 2020’. This is available here: https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/educational-data/cese/publications/statistics/effects-of-covid-19-on-attendance-2020. Data source: Statistical publications. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

Data Notes: The table only includes Board Developed Courses The table includes students studying a language through the Secondary College of Languages (formerly Saturday School of Community Languages). Hours equal to the number of hours studied over Years 9 and 10. Data Source: Schools and Students: Statistical Bulletin. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

In NSW, most children receiving a preschool education are enrolled at a government funded community preschool or in a Long Day Care centre. The NSW government operates approximately 100 preschools, providing a preschool education to over 4,000 children. Data Notes: Government preschool classes provide full-time or part-time schooling at pre-primary level. The number of preschool students and children in early intervention classes is not included in the full-time equivalent total. Data Source: Schools: InBrief Mid-Year Census. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

Data Notes: Data is collected mid-year (census date: first Friday in August) from NSW government schools as per National Schools Statistics Collection (NSSC). Data excludes support students. Students in Years 11 or 12 can enrol to study as a part-time or full-time student. For the annual census, a part-time student is enrolled in less than 10 units, regardless of where those units are studied. All Kindergarten to Year 10 students are considered to be full-time. Student enrolments are generally reported in full-time equivalent units (FTE). The FTE for students studying less than 10 units, the minimum workload, is determined by the formula: 0.1 x the number of units studied and represented as a proportion of the full-time enrolment of 1.0 FTE. In most scholastic years there are a small number of students in atypical age groups. For students under 18 years, these have been included in the nearest band. This is indicated with an asterisk. As a result, the sum of each row may not equal the totals reported. Mature-age students’ data (18 years old and above) is not anonymised. Data Source: Schools and Students: Statistical Bulletin. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.

Data Notes: Data is collected mid-year for government schools only. From 2020, Primary and Secondary Support students are included in their underlying grade. Since 2014, the department has used these a geographical structure based on the new ABS Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). Groups of ASGS Statistical Area 4 (SA4) boundaries in NSW have been combined into 11 groups for reporting and publication of department data. Previous publications compared enrolments in DEC regions. Students in Distance Education and Opportunity Classes (OC) are included with their appropriate grade levels. Aggregate geographical data are reported by groupings of ABS statistical area 4 (refer to the maps in the Statistical Bulletin Explanatory Notes). Students are counted as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander if they are identified and accepted as such by the community with which they are associated, and they identify themselves on the school enrolment form. As of 2022, Norfolk Island (previously included in NSW total) is no longer under the jurisdiction of NSW, and therefore not included in the figures. Data Source: Schools and Students: Statistical Bulletin. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.