SFCC in the News

New data shows our College had the biggest growth in Year 7 enrolments in Victoria between 2020 and 2025.

Our Principal, Marlene Jorgensen, was interviewed by The Age this week about how we are building not only a new campus but also a thriving, inclusive school community.

Below is an excerpt from the article.

Fee hikes of thousands of dollars at private and Catholic schools across Victoria have not deterred families enrolling their children as year 7 students, as many campuses soar to their highest intakes ever.

Many high-fee private schools such as Caulfield Grammar and Haileybury – where fees increased more than 4 per cent this year – have increased their year 7 intake over the past five years, but it is the low- and mid-fee schools which are enjoying the strongest enrolment growth.

About two-thirds of the 222 Victorian private and Catholic high schools have recorded booming year 7 intakes in the past five years, The Age’s analysis of Australian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (ACARA) data has found.

It comes as the portion of students in non-government education has slightly risen nationally. The latest ACARA figures show that Victorian secondary students in non-government high schools comprised about 43 per cent of all enrolments, an increase of less than 1 percentage point since 2020.

The school with the biggest growth in Year 7s since 2020 is St Francis Catholic College in Melton, where principal Marlene Jorgensen said the school had responded to the influx of families to the area.

Demand was so acute it led the four-decade-old school to open a second campus in nearby Cobblebank in 2023.

“So it’s about the location and about the demographics, but we also have an excellent product,” Jorgensen said. “The families that come to our school align well with our values of equity and access and seeing everyone as individuals.”

St Francis is in a balancing act as it strives for students to receive a quality education and sense of community, while it keeps a lid on fees – they are currently $5269 for year 7 students – and it constructs new buildings in preparation for enrolling a further 1000 students by the end of this decade.

“An underlying principle is we want to provide quality education at affordable prices just so we ensure equity and access. Yes, it’s rapidly growing, but it’s still a low socio-economic area,” Jorgensen said.

The school is among several non-government campuses in the growth suburbs which have had enrolments surge, including Hume Anglican Grammar in Mickleham, Marymede Catholic College in South Morang, and Iona College Geelong in Charlemont.

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