The Allan Labor Government is making sure kids and families in every corner of Victoria get access to a world-class education close to home with 100 new schools opening by 2026.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll today visited the site of Narrarrang Primary School in Fishermans Bend, one of 19 new schools that will open in Term 1, 2026.
The Minister was joined by new principals from some of the 19 new schools that will make history as part of the Labor Government's record investment.
The schools include 15 new schools in growth suburbs like Clyde North, Kalkallo and Cobblebank, one in Geelong and another in Wodonga. The Victorian Budget 2025/26 also invested in two new schools in Aintree and Officer, that will open in 2027.
More than half the schools built across Australia in the last 10 years have been built in Victoria by the Labor Government.
Victoria's school workforce continues to grow and programs are in place to support education staff.
This includes scholarships, paid placements for pre-service teachers and employment-based teaching degree programs for undergraduates. The Government also offers targeted financial incentives for hard-to-staff roles and more support for early-career teachers.
We know that kindergartens at or near school sites help more families ditch the dreaded double dropoff and make a child's transition into primary school smoother.
That's why every Victorian primary school that has opened since 2021 has a kindergarten on-site or nearby.
More than 145,000 children and their families are saving up to $2,600 per child each year through the Labor Government's Free Kinder program, which is available at 97 per cent of funded kindergartens across the state.
The Government has invested a record $18.5 billion to build new schools and deliver more than 2,300 school upgrades − supporting more than 30,000 jobs in construction and associated industries.
As stated by Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll
"Our priority is - and has always been - that every child, no matter where they live, has access to a world-class education for free in a Victorian government school."
"These new schools follow more than a decade of record investment in the Education State, which means every child has access to a world-class education at no cost in a Victorian government school."
As stated by Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Member for Albert Park Nina Taylor
"We're delivering new schools right across Victoria so that growing families can access world-class schools closer to home."
