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The number of teachers in Queensland state schools grew by more than 1000 last year, with almost half of the growth in one region that covers the surging population centres in Brisbane’s south, Logan and Ipswich.
Data from the Education Department obtained exclusively by this masthead showed some schools increased their workforce by more than a dozen teachers, including Brisbane South State Secondary College, Mansfield State High School and Yeronga State High School.
Yeronga’s principal Ben Orford said teachers who had joined his school last year came from various backgrounds, including new graduates and teachers returning to the profession.
“We’ve had to work really hard to attract teachers,” he said.
“Over the past three years we’ve seen our enrolments grow by more than 250 students, and obviously, in order to cater for that growth, we’ve had to be pretty proactive.”
Orford said the school was approaching its functional capacity, which would trigger tighter restrictions on out-of-catchment enrolments.
The school aimed to create a supportive culture for staff, but Orford said the school’s location, about seven kilometres from inner-Brisbane, put the school in a “fortunate position”.
“We think that offers a real benefit for staff that are looking to come and work here,” he said.
The Education Department’s data measures the total number of teachers employed at the end of 2024 and 2025, but did not reveal how many had left teaching in the period.
In the department’s Metro South region – which includes Brisbane suburbs south of the river, the Redland Bay and Ipswich regions, and northern Logan – the number of full time-equivalent teachers jumped by 432.
The increase in teachers in the region pushed the total number to an equivalent of almost 11,000 full-time teachers.
The second-highest increase in teachers was recorded for the South East region, which scoops in the rest of Logan, Gold Coast and Beaudesert – with numbers growing by 311.
Statewide, Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said state schools were great places to work, where staff were valued and appreciated for the important work they do each day.
“Since we came to government, we’ve delivered more teachers and the regional vacancy rate is the lowest it’s been in the past five years,” he said.
Metro North – from Brisbane’s northside up to Caboolture – added the equivalent of 129 new teaching jobs, while the North Coast region – including the Sunshine Coast and Wide Bay – grew by 61.
There were 600 unfilled teaching jobs in the regions in February, the department said.
Queensland Teachers’ Union president Cresta Richardson said staff shortages were putting the most pressure on rural and remote schools, followed by regional centres and outer metropolitan communities.
Department modelling has previously highlighted that high-growth corridors south of Brisbane, including Yarrabilba, Greater Flagstone and Ripley Valley, will need more than 50 new schools.
More people are studying teaching degrees, with universities making more than 5000 offers for degrees starting this year, Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) said.
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