Table 15: Our workforce demographics(a) 2023 and 2024
| Demographics | 2023 (%) | 2024 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Culturally and linguistically diverse people | 11.4 | 12.0 |
| People with disability | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Age profile | ||
| People 24 years of age and under | 4.7 | 5.2 |
| People 25 to 44 years of age | 42.3 | 42.7 |
| People 45 years of age and over | 53.0 | 52.1 |
| Gender breakdown of Senior Executive Service(b)(c) | ||
| Female Male | 52.0 48.0 | 53.9 46.1 |
| Gender breakdown of school administrators(b)(d) | ||
| Primary Female Male | 72.2 27.8 | 73.5 26.5 |
| Secondary Female Male | 59.2 40.8 | 59.4 40.6 |
(a) Data as at June of each year.
(b) No employees were recorded as Indeterminate/Intersex in these positions in June 2023 or June 2024.
(c) Employees who are members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) under section 43 of the Public Sector Management Act 1994 (WA).
(d) Defined as levels 3 to 6 under the School Education Act Employees’ (Teachers and Administrators) General Agreement 2021 (WA).
Source: Workforce and Education Business Services, using Human Resource Minimum Obligatory Information Requirements (HRMOIR) data
Table 16: Staff(a) by category 2019–20 to 2023–24
| Category | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teaching(b) | 23,303 | 23,802 | 24,524 | 24,720 | 25,105 |
| Support(c) | 11,944 | 12,454 | 13,004 | 13,432 | 14,125 |
| Cleaning and gardening | 2,763 | 3,197 | 2,902 | 2,846 | 2,826 |
| Administrative and clerical(d) | 2,001 | 2,135 | 2,289 | 2,322 | 2,384 |
| Total | 40,011 | 41,588 | 42,719 | 43,320 | 44,440 |
(a) Average financial year paid full‑time equivalent staff rounded to nearest whole number.
(b) Includes principals and deputy principals.
(c) Includes school clerical staff and education assistants.
(d) Includes staff in Public Sector Management Act 1994 (WA) positions, and teaching and other staff employed under the School Education Act 1999 (WA).
Source: Education Business Services
Table 17: Staff(a) by operational area and category 2023–24
| Operational area | Teaching(b) | Support(c) | Cleaning and gardening | Administrative and clerical(d) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schools | 25,034 | 14,121 | 2,822 | 682 | 42,659 |
| Central strategic and corporate services | – | – | – | 1,563 | 1,563 |
| Regional offices | 71(e) | 4 | 4 | 139 | 218 |
| Total | 25,105 | 14,125 | 2,826 | 2,384 | 44,440 |
(a) Average financial year paid full‑time equivalent staff rounded to nearest whole number.
(b) Includes principals and deputy principals.
(c) Includes school clerical staff and education assistants.
(d) Includes staff in Public Sector Management Act 1994 (WA) positions, and teaching and other staff employed under the School Education Act 1999 (WA).
(e) Includes Primary Extension and Challenge (PEAC) teachers, lead psychologists and home education moderators.
Source: Education Business Services
Table 18: School-related staff(a) by type of school and category 2023–24
| Type of school | Teaching(b) | Support(c) | Cleaning and gardening | Administrative and clerical(d) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community kindergarten | 20 | 19 | – | – | 39 |
| Primary(e) | 13,068 | 7,630 | 1,471 | 25 | 22,194 |
| District high | 1,059 | 606 | 153 | 7 | 1,825 |
| Kindergarten–Year 12(f) | 434 | 171 | 42 | 44 | 691 |
| Secondary | 8,590 | 3,235 | 1,115 | 518 | 13,458 |
| Education support(g) | 1,044 | 2,230 | 35 | 49 | 3,358 |
| Specialist services(h) | 819 | 230 | 6 | 39 | 1,094 |
| Total | 25,034 | 14,121 | 2,822 | 682 | 42,659 |
(a) Average financial year paid full‑time equivalent staff rounded to nearest whole number.
(b) Includes principals and deputy principals.
(c) Includes school clerical staff and education assistants.
(d) Includes staff in Public Sector Management Act 1994 (WA) positions.
(e) Includes schools of the air and remote community schools.
(f) Includes School of Isolated and Distance Education.
(g) Includes language development schools and centres.
(h) Includes education services that do not directly enrol students such as camp schools, the schools of special educational needs, the School of Alternative Learning Settings, vacation swimming and Instrumental Music School Services. Residential colleges are included under Support.
Source: Education Business Services
Table 19: School-based teaching staff(a) by category and education category(b)2024(c)
| Category | Primary | Secondary | Education support | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Principal | 576 | 172 | 66 | 814 |
| Deputy principal | 891 | 458 | 104 | 1,452 |
| Head of department or program coordinator | 23 | 1,167 | 12 | 1,201 |
| Teacher | 10,795 | 6,950 | 745 | 18,490 |
| Guidance/counselling | 244 | 129 | 41 | 414 |
| Total | 12,529 | 8,876 | 967 | 22,371 |
(a) Full‑time equivalents at Semester 1 student census including teachers at community kindergartens. Based on counting method used for the National Schools Statistics Collection that does not include staff on extended leave.
(b) Staff apportioned to education category based on the student cohort in each school.
(c) Rows and columns may not add to totals due to rounding.
Source: System and School Performance
Figure 3: School‑based teaching staff(a) by education category(b) and female or male 2024(c)(d)(e)
(a) Full‑time equivalents at Semester 1 student census including teachers at community kindergartens. Based on counting method used for the National Schools Statistics Collection that does not include staff on extended leave.
(b) Staff apportioned to education category based on the student cohort in each school.
(c) Two staff recorded as Indeterminate/Intersex are excluded.
(d) Components may not add to totals due to rounding.
(e) For corresponding school‑based teaching staff data, refer to Table A25.
Source: System and School Performance
Figure 4: Student–teacher ratios(a) 2019 to 2023
(a) Ratios based on full‑time equivalent students and full‑time equivalent teaching staff at Semester 2.
(b) Excludes Kindergarten.
Source: System and School Performance