Flexible school enrolments soar as families consider classroom alternatives

Families are choosing independent special assistance schools as an alternative to mainstream classrooms.

Students describe having endured bullying or exclusion before making the change.

Groups that run flexible, independent schools say funding must keep up with demand.

For 16-year-old Joshua Houston, going to school used to mean wondering what might go wrong that day.

The Sunshine Coast teenager, who has Tourette syndrome, said he experienced bullying and disciplinary action at his former mainstream school.

"It felt like I was not heard and I felt like I was disrespected and no-one would really listen to me," he said.

Now attending Kairos Community College in Nambour on the Sunshine Coast, Joshua says school has become somewhere he belongs.

"It feels like I've finally gotten to a point where I'm heard and that makes life even easier," he said.

"It feels like I've completed something in my life basically. And I've got a very good group of friends."

His experience comes as new research reveals enrolments at Queensland's independent special assistance schools have increased sevenfold since 2016, with more than 11,000 students attending schools in 2025.

The report, commissioned by Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) and conducted by research firm McCrindle, also found principals were reporting extensive waiting lists.

Joshua's mother, Alicia Kerkow, said her son's Tourette syndrome was not always understood in mainstream education.

"He was always in trouble for things he couldn't control and things he couldn't help," she said.

By year 9, Joshua was barely attending school.

After initially trying a flexible learning program through Arethusa College, the family found Kairos.

Ms Kerkow said smaller classes, individual attention and a more flexible approach to assessments had helped Joshua regain confidence.

This year, he received an A in mathematics, something his mother said he had never achieved before.

"I do see a big future now," Joshua said.

For his mother, the transformation has been profound.

"He's happier. He's actually got dreams," she said.

The ISQ research found the number of independent special assistance schools increased from 14 in 2016 to 31 in 2025.

Separate figures from Queensland's Non-State Schools Accreditation Board show enrolments across the special assistance school sector more than doubled between 2022 and 2026.

Kairos Community College state principal Luke O'Sullivan said enrolment demand had also increased at his school, with waiting lists across its campuses for most year levels.

Mr O'Sullivan said a new campus under construction at Nambour would further strengthen students' sense of belonging and safety.

"What we do isn't by chance, it is by design," he said.

EREA Flexible Schools has grown from six schools in 2010 to 26 nationally, supporting more than 2,500 students.

Chief executive Matt Hawkins said continued funding was essential to meeting growing demand.

ISQ said special assistance schools mostly relied on government funding and did not charge tuition fees.

The ISQ research surveyed 271 former students and 410 parents of former students.

Three-quarters of surveyed parents said changing to a special assistance school had made a significant difference to their child's attendance, while 78 per cent said it had reduced pressure on their family.

The report estimated that helping approximately 2,000 students complete year 12 in 2025 could generate $452 million in lifetime fiscal benefits through increased tax revenue and reduced government expenditure.

The modelling compared the projected benefits of completing year 12 with leaving school early.

ISQ chief operating officer Stuart McDowall said the schools were changing young people's futures.

"Special assistance schools are not simply helping students stay in school," he said.

Edith Cowan University education lecturer Jennifer Achari, who previously led an alternative school in Western Australia, said some students needed a different approach to learning.

"The schooling system is based on a standardised model of education, which is great for the majority of students," Dr Achari said.

"But for the students who are falling through the cracks and disengaging, they need a little bit of a different approach to education.

"Queensland is having the biggest boom at the minute [in alternative education] but there is a big huge increase across Australia."

Dr Achari said mainstream schools were also working to support students with diverse needs but could learn from the alternative sector's emphasis on belonging and building confidence.

"Hope was a huge one. That was actually the one that came out strongest in my research," Dr Achari said.

"Because the teachers have so much hope for their students."

For Joshua, that hope now extends beyond the classroom.

"If I put my mind to it, I can do whatever I want," he said.

The Queensland government has been contacted for comment.