Special Report: Secondary school trends

Our recent comparison of the latest statistics relating to international students at secondary schools in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia reveal that none of these countries’ international secondary school enrolments have reached pre-pandemic levels of recovery yet. Secondary schools in the UK have been the closest to achieve pre-pandemic recovery, with numbers down by 11 per cent on 2020 levels, while Canada’s enrolments were still down by 27 per cent in 2022/23 compared with 2018/2019. Enrolments in the USA remain down by 39 per cent in 2024 compared with 2019 and in Australia they are down by 24 per cent in 2024 compared with 2019.

Sam Hollingshead from Bath Academy in the UK says that they have seen a decline in international student numbers at their school and puts this down to fears regarding safety, as well as the Labour government’s proposed plan to add VAT to private school fees from 2025. He adds that international student nationalities have also changed. “Pre-Covid 19, it was mainly students from China and Africa [at the school],” he says. “However, since the pandemic, we have seen an increase in student numbers from various countries around the globe.”

Sarah Rimini from Inspired Education Group – Boarding Schools  which has schools based in the UK and around the world says, “Parents are increasingly seeking international education for their children, recognizing the broader opportunities it provides.” She adds, “Notably, we are witnessing a growing demand for our schools in European countries (Spain, Italy, Portugal).”

While demand for secondary education overseas remains strong, increased competition from less mainstream education destinations and formats may be affecting enrolments. Andrius Ksikvas from Maine Central Institute in the USA says, “I believe that the factors affecting enrollments at US schools are related to increased competition from international high schools, as well as the rising availability of online diploma programs.” In addition, “Currency exchange rates favoring the US dollar are impacting affordability of US secondary education for international families. Moreover, continued challenges with US student visa approval rates add an additional layer of consideration,” he notes.

In Canada, Rob Schoen from School District #73 Kamloops – Thompson notes that inflation maybe affecting enrolments from some student countries. “There are more and more countries and local jurisdictions recruiting thereby diluting the number of available students,” he says. While Adam Gonya from Braemar College  adds, “The path after graduation is strewn with a number of obstacles. Many international students are having difficulty finding work. Other study options begin to appear more attractive.”