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Government schools are offering students more VCE subjects than some of the state’s most costly private institutions, while select-entry and high-fee independent schools show lower ratios of subjects-to-students.
A new analysis of enrolment data by this masthead reveals nine of the state’s top 10 schools for subject choice are in the government sector, with the government’s Virtual Schools Victoria offering 99 subjects to VCE students in 2025 – the most statewide. Mildura Senior College offered 86 subjects, which was equal second with Templestowe College.
Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals president Belinda Hudak, who was principal of the Mildura school until January, said catering only to students in years 11 and 12 allows the college to concentrate teacher resources and offer a wide range of subjects.
“What it does is mean that your whole school community really values the breadth of pathways that there are; that idea that post-school we need all types of jobs, and one is not more important than the other,” she said.
“It’s not all about chasing ATARs. It’s about supporting the kids who do school-based apprenticeships to start their apprenticeship early and excel in their careers. It’s about supporting our young people in the performing arts, it’s about supporting kids who are interested in sociology and psychology or the sciences.”
Ringwood Secondary College was among the top 10 schools offering the most VCE subjects and had 355 students enrolled in at least one of 78 subjects – which ranged across specialist maths, music, drama and outdoor education.
Principal Rosina Fotia said roughly a quarter of students did at least one vocational subject, with popular options including automotive engineering and information technology.
“It’s all about access and equity,” she said. “Our job is not to choose what they do; our job is to get them to a position where they have a choice.”
She said student interest drove what subjects the school offered, and encouraging students who were ready to start VCE units in year 10 was one way to guarantee there was a pathway into those subjects in year 12. Still, some subjects, such as drama and French, have only just enough students.
“French is one I’m happy to carry because I know language is really important,” Fotina said of budgeting for subjects.
Miranda Wainwright, a year 12 student studying both French and drama at the school, said it catered to a broad interests.
“There is quite a range of academic subjects. But also, I’m friends with a lot of people studying VET and vocational majors (VM), and it allows more opportunities for people to get hold of pathways a lot earlier,” she said.
“I feel Ringwood allows you to focus on areas that you’re talented in and passionate about.”
The state’s select-entry government schools and several high-fee private schools offer a lower ratio of subjects to students, tending to teach fewer or no vocational subjects, and instead focusing on more traditional academic subjects like maths, history, languages and English. Melbourne High offers 50 VCE subjects, with 722 students enrolled in at least one.
“I think it’s very much driven by student interests,” said Melbourne High School principal Tony Mordini.
“There’s a strong student interest in subjects that I think also prepares students for the next stage of their academic life; if you’re going to go, for example, into medicine and health sciences, then your maths methods, chemistry and biology are probably the subjects that you’ll gravitate towards.”
The school offers plenty of academic breadth, including four languages – French, Indonesian, Japanese and German – and options for students to study other languages externally.
Still, Mordini has been working towards a new model where students undertake two year 12 subjects in year 11, with at least one in humanities.
While science and maths are the most popular subjects at the school, Mordini has encouraged more students to undertake humanities subjects in year 10 this year in the hope of ensuring their education is more well-rounded.
“There’s been quite a significant number of students who have taken up subjects like geography because they can now fit it into their program; they’re not trying to cram it into two years,” he said.
“Even just doing economics, politics, geography, history. What it does is it develops a more rounded and grounded individual.”
Education Minister Ben Carroll said Victorian students had a choice of more than 90 VCE studies, four VCE VM studies and more than 60 VCE-VET certificates in total.
“We’re expanding VET at school to maximise the number of subjects on offer, so students can choose the career pathway that’s right for them - whether that’s at university or free TAFE .”
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