School data and research helps improve education policies and programs across Australia. Find the key national data collections and where to go for more information.
How school data is used
While the Australian Government holds some education data, the majority of detailed education data is owned by states and territories. This data is used to inform policy advice on a range of issues such as how to best support students with disability.
School data is collected by Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) to:
- Report on investments in school education
- Improve schooling outcomes
- Support young Australians to reach their full potential
- Form a national education evidence base
- Deliver effective, evidence-based policy and programs.
ACARA's work is used to:
- Measure the performance of schooling in Australia
- Guide the publication of school data
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National data collections
National data collections are used by websites and programs you might already be familiar with, including the:
- My School website which provides parents and the community with nationally consistent data about Australian schools
- which helps to see if young Australians are meeting educational outcomes
- Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on Students with Disability which comes up with ways to best support students with disability
The data is also used in reports such as the:
- Report on Government Services which includes a section on government-funded school education
- National Report on Schooling in Australia that reports on:
- the 11 areas of commitment to action specified in the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration
- nationally agreed key performance measures (KPMs) for schooling
- statistics on school and staff numbers, student enrolments and school funding
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