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With the first week of term two on the horizon, private schools across Brisbane are wrapping up years-long year 7 enrolment processes, but even among the city’s more expensive schools, a handful still have places for next year.
Brisbane Boys’ College – which had the third-highest year 12 fees of any Brisbane school in 2025 – was still advertising for year 7 students to begin in 2027 on its website.
A Brisbane Boys’ College spokeswoman said the school opened new classrooms last year, which had created “reasonably good capacity” for that year level.
The school is also currently interviewing for 2028 and 2029 placements.
Other schools still offering year 7 places beginning next year were St James College, Citipointe Christian College, Brisbane Adventist College, in Mansfield, and the city’s two Islamic colleges on the southside – Australian International Islamic College and Islamic College of Brisbane.
Across Brisbane schools with multiple entry years, about two-thirds are single-sex – 12 of them for girls and 13 for boys.
However, girls’ schools – which, until recently, did not commonly offer year 5 entry – were more likely to finalise year 7 enrolment processes early.
Meanwhile, eight of the 12 prep to year 12 and year 5 to 7 girls’ schools were only advertising places from 2030 onwards, compared with five boys’ schools.
This year, these schools would interview current year 3 students, with many requiring NAPLAN results, evidence of extracurricular activities, or letters of recommendation from local churches.
Associate Professor Anna Hogan, an expert in education policy at Queensland University of Technology, said Australia had some of the highest private school enrolment numbers of any OECD country, with demand often exceeding available places.
“This means families may be down on multiple waitlists and be making decisions close to transition years,” she said.
“There is a great deal of anxiety that comes with school choice, and mothers in particular often feel a lot of pressure to choose the ‘right’ school for their child, so securing a place early often reduces this stress and allows families to plan their financial strategy longer term.”
At Cannon Hill Anglican College, in Brisbane’s east, parents were told there was no space for year 7 students until 2035.
“If your required year of entry is not mentioned above, the college is not accepting applications at this time due to extensive waitlists,” the school’s enrolments page read.
This cohort includes children currently aged between three and four, who will begin prep in 2028.
Education Department data indicated the prep to year 12 school typically swells from a cohort of between 50 and 60 students for each grade through primary school, to almost 175 in year 7.
High demand also meant private schools could be selective with future students, ensuring they aligned with the school’s reputation and ethos, Hogan said.
“Essentially, a private school is managing a brand,” she said.
A spokeswoman for Brisbane Girls Grammar School – which had the largest year 7 cohort across Brisbane girls’ schools – said placements were typically finalised three years ahead of entry.
“Brisbane Girls Grammar School is non‑selective, with offers made strictly in order of the date of waitlist application,” the spokeswoman said.
“BGGS also offers several bursaries each year … [which] are finalised the year prior to entry.”
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