Top Sydney private schools, Kincoppal-Rose Bay and Shore, have decided to phase out co-education in their junior schools. This follows years of declining male enrollment, with parents opting for single-sex education for their daughters.
Both schools cite low male enrollment as the primary reason. Shore school had fewer than 10 girls in years 1 and 2. Kincoppal-Rose Bay also faced similar challenges despite previous attempts to boost male enrollment, including scholarship offers. The lack of sufficient male students makes creating strong social groups difficult and impacts the overall educational experience.
Shore's kindergarten-to-year 2 classes will transition to an all-boys structure next year, while its early learning centre will remain co-educational. Kincoppal will phase out co-education in its junior school, with the final intake of boys in kindergarten in 2028 and the last co-ed year graduating in 2034. Both schools continue to support their existing male students.
Shore previously reversed a decision to stop co-ed in kindergarten to year 2 due to parental backlash in 2018. Kincoppal attempted to increase male participation through scholarships in 2019. Both schools also sought government approvals to increase student numbers, though Shore's current expansion plans are smaller than previously anticipated.
“What we’ve seen over many years is the gradual decline [in girls’ enrolments],” Collier said. “So the market has decided, and parents of girls have decided, that this is not a viable option for them. Essentially, we are following the lead of parents, which has made the whole thing inevitable, and council have recognised that.”
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Collier said the school has fewer than 10 girls enrolled in years 1 and 2 this year. “Parents want a long-term proposition for their daughters, and many are opting for high-quality girls’ schools in this area.”
He said a major concern was having enough girls to have strong social and friendship groups, and that girls’ enrolments had steadily declined over the past decade.
In 2018, the school announced it would stop offering co-ed at its kindergarten-to-year 2 campus, but backlash from parents meant the decision was reversed. From year 3, Shore is an all-boys school.
“From years 3 to 12, there is absolutely no demand for co-education,” Collier said.
A Shore spokesperson said the kindergarten-to-year 2 classes will transition to “an all-boys structure” from next year, and the early learning centre will remain co-educational. They said the decision was well-received among parents.
At Kincoppal, the school said its board’s decision to phase out co-education in primary came after “extensive consultation, research and careful consideration”.
The final intake of boys entering kindergarten will be in 2028, with the last co-ed year to graduate in 2034.
“We are fully committed to the 38 boys who are currently enrolled in kindergarten to year 6, as well as all those who are enrolled to commence in future years,” Thomas said in her letter to parents.
“We have made considerable efforts to increase the number of boy enrolments by offering the strongest calibre of teachers, refining our holistic education, introducing scholarships to attract boy enrolments and endeavouring to build year 7 pathways with a range of schools.
“More recently, increased competition from other schools and the removal of year 7 pathways have contributed to low enrolments of boys and a poor outlook for the enrolment of boys for the foreseeable future.
“To secure a high school place in many independent schools, boys are often required to take a place in primary.”
Thomas said the school first enrolled boys in 1914 and male enrolments ranged from less than 10 per cent to 30 per cent during its history. The school now has 280 students in its junior school.
Both schools have struggled to reach gender balance in the junior schools, and in 2019, Kincoppal announced it would offer 30 scholarships for children entering kindergarten and years 1, 2 and 3 in an attempt to increase male participation.
In recent years, both schools have applied via the state government’s planning portal to increase student numbers. Shore has approval to increase capacity by 450 students as part of campus upgrade plans, but a school spokesperson said its “current ambition is to add only another 26 students, between kindergarten to year 12”.
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