NEW data shows annual growth rate in ACT school enrolments was as low as 0.4 per cent from February 2021 to 2022 despite a consistent rate of around two per cent over the last decade.

The figures, from the annual school census, show COVID-19 has had a clear impact on school enrolments across the ACT, with little growth in the number of enrolments across government and non-government sectors over the past year.

The census reports the most noticeable change relates to preschool, where enrolments decreased by 490 students (-8 per cent) overall.

This result could be due to a range of factors, including a reported reduction in the ACT estimated resident population for preschool aged children, or some parents choosing not to enrol their children in non-compulsory preschool because of the pandemic.

In 2022, there are 82,175 students enrolled in ACT public, Catholic and independent schools. There are also 2156 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students enrolled in public schools in 2022, an increase of 269 students from 2018.