Australian Association of Christian Schools AACS

ISA’s 2026 Snapshot shows Independent schools now educate more than 767,712 students in 1,240 schools nationwide.

The data highlights key realities shaping the Independent school sector:
• Fastest growing school sector (~3.0% growth)
• Over 187,000 students with disability
• More than 22,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
• Strong representation across regional and remote communities

Independent schools are a diverse and growing sector, reflecting the choices families are making.

See the full Snapshot athttps://lnkd.in/g3aiDuxU

AACS was honoured to welcome Julian Leeser MP, Shadow Minister for Education and Federal Member for Berowra, as a keynote speaker at the 2026 AACS Advocacy and Policy Summit at NSW Parliament House in March.

Addressing Christian school leaders from across Australia, Mr Leeser spoke about the importance of educational choice, academic excellence, and protecting the freedom of faith-based schools to operate in accordance with their values and convictions.

Thank you, Julian, for your strong support of Christian education and the families we serve.

Read his speech https://www.aacs.net.au/julian-leeser-mp-speech-at-the-aacs-summit

It was wonderful to hear Hugh McDermott MP: State Member for Prospect recognise the AACS Policy and Advocacy Summit in a Community Recognition Statement delivered in NSW Parliament recently.

The Legislative Assembly Hansard on 12 May stated:

Dr HUGH McDERMOTT (Prospect) - "It was a pleasure to address school leaders from across Australia at the 2026 Australian Association of Christian Schools (AACS) Advocacy and Policy Summit at the Parliament of NSW.
AACS provides Christian schools with a voice to deliver an authentic Christian education. The Prospect Electorate is the proud home of several Christian schools that provide wholistic, faith-based education to young learners. The Summit connected educators, principals and leaders to foster new connections and meaningful community engagement. Attendees had the opportunity to work directly with elected officials and policy experts on key issues shaping Christian education and undertake practical advocacy training.
The Summit aimed to equip school leaders with skills to continually advocate for faith-based education in their local communities. At the event, I was honoured to represent Deputy Premier, the Hon. Prue Car MP, Minister for Education and Early Learning, and address over 150 attendees regarding educational reforms and support for educators, students and families as they navigate current challenges.
Thank you to Vanessa Cheng, CEO, AACS, and all our school leaders, volunteers, and supporters for a constructive and valuable Summit. May God bless your work."

This week the AACS team joined with some of our member schools including Graeme Irwin, CEO of St Philip's Christian Education Foundation, AACS Board Member Chris Baldry of Pacific Hills Christian School and Mark Andrews of Melton Christian College and many Christian leaders from across Australia at the Christian Ministry Advancement 2026 conference in Melbourne.

Through its accreditation process, the CMA Standards Council provides a vital framework to help ministries demonstrate accountability and good governance.

Congratulations to CMA on its 25 year anniversary of equipping Christian ministries for greater impact!

Schools can find out about the accreditation process at: https://www.cmasc.net.au/get-accredited-2/accreditation-overview

Principal Joshua McEwen has a genuine heart for Christian education. Not only was he a student at Covenant College Geelong, but his parents were also among the school’s founders.

Thank you to Joshua for hosting AACS CEO Vanessa Cheng, along with Bev McArthur MLC and Jasmine Yuen, today to share the story of this growing and thriving school community.

May we be people who listen with compassion, seek peace, and reflect Christ’s love in our school communities.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9

Thank you to Julian Leeser MP for the Coalition’s clear commitment to protect the right of religious schools to operate in accordance with their faith and beliefs as quoted in The Australian.

We are grateful for leaders who recognise the vital contribution Christian schools make across Australia and who are committed to protecting parental choice and religious freedom. 🌏📚

Coalition backs schools to hire and fire staff based on faith The Coalition is defending religious freedom in schools and pinning soaring private school fees on the federal government’s inflationary public spending.

On National Sorry Day, AACS acknowledges the pain, suffering and hurt of the Stolen Generations, including their descendants, families and communities.

As Christians, we are called to listen, learn and pursue reconciliation with humility, compassion and truth. We recognise the importance of understanding our shared history and continuing the journey toward healing and reconciliation.

To learn more about National Sorry Day and the history of the Stolen Generations, visit Reconciliation Australia: https://www.reconciliation.org.au/publication/lets-talk-sorry-day/