Planning for new and expanded schools and campuses

The Department of Education (department) annually reviews the need for new and expanded schools and campuses.

To identify where additional school infrastructure is needed, the department reviews:

  • enrolment trends
  • forecast student demand, based on the Victorian Government’s official population projections, Victoria in Future
  • the capacity, condition, and features of existing schools
  • the availability of land.

To make sure their review is accurate, the department consults with stakeholders including the Department of Transport and Planning and local government.

When student demand exceeds capacity

The department considers a range of options when student demand is predicted to exceed capacity in the current local school network. These include non-infrastructure interventions (for example changing school zones) and infrastructure interventions.

The infrastructure options are:

  • providing additional infrastructure at an existing government school
  • building a new school or campus.

In established areas, there are additional factors to consider. These include the existing network of schools and land availability, which may mean that a new school or campus might not always be the best way to address population growth.

Government schools in greenfield growth areas

There are 7 municipalities that make up the greenfield growth areas of Victoria – Cardinia, Casey, Hume, Melton, Mitchell, Whittlesea and Wyndham. Proposed school sites in these areas are typically identified through the precinct structure planning process. The department works closely with stakeholders to determine the number and location of proposed government schools likely needed for growing communities in greenfield growth areas.

The Victorian Government School Site Selection Criteria and its associated Toolbox outline key factors that the department considers when assessing proposed site options to ensure they are suitable for school development. The suitability of each site is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Identifying a proposed government school site means that the department may build a school on that site in the future. It does not mean that the department has committed to building a new school on that site or that the department must acquire the land.

Planning for students with disability

Students with disability can attend their local school. Eligible students with disability can also apply to enrol at a specialist education setting.

Specialist education settings include:

To identify where these schools are needed, the Department of Education considers forecast student demand and access to existing specialist settings. This helps identify gaps in the network and determine the most effective response.

For more information on specialist schools and who can enrol in them, visit our specialist schools webpage.

Planning for non-government schools

The Department of Education does not oversee non-government school planning. The Minister for Planning is responsible for assessing applications for non-government schools.

Further information can be found on the Applications for non-government schools webpage.

Updated

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