Hello Wentyl,

While media attention is often focused on elite institutions, the stunning growth of low-cost private schools is changing the face of the Australian education system. 

As we revealed in a recent story, enrolments at affordable Christian colleges are growing six times faster than government schools nationally, with the highest demand at schools with fees of less than $7500. 

Private non-Catholic schools now educate 745,000 students, or 18 per cent of the national school population, and are tipped to overtake the Catholic sector as the second most popular education choice by 2027, according to research from Independent Schools Australia.

To mark such success, this week we unveiled our list of the Top 100 Affordable Private Schools, with additional lists of the best in each state. We crunched data across both academic results and other key indicators of a quality education, such as student-teacher ratios and engagement rates.

Topping the rankings is St Andrews Christian College in Melbourne (principal Nick Haines and some proud St Andrews students are pictured above), but there are plenty of other superstar schools so we've mapped the high-performers in every state and territory here.

Another fascinating story explored the adequacy of paid parental leave, with one family revealing why they were “one and done”. While these parents made a compelling case for a full 52 weeks of “baby gap year” parental leave, some of our readers were not so sure in a story that sparked passionate debate.

In other stories this week, a Queensland childcare centre came under investigation over the alleged physical restraint of a child, sparking a rush of resignations from staff, while South Australian early education centres had their own dramas with an explosion of gastro cases.

We also have great reads on how the pressure from both principals and parents for NAPLAN excellence is forcing teachers to focus on test practice rather than regular lessons, the backlash to migrant kids using languages other than English in educational settings, and experts warning about the dubious credentials of some parenting influencers.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend! Cheers, Susie