Top-performing college restricts enrolments as numbers soar

Hobart College has become one of Tasmania's most sought-after schools, so much so that it can no longer accommodate every student who wants to attend.

The Mount Nelson institution, one of Greater Hobart's four government colleges, enrolled more than 1,400 full-time equivalent year 11 and 12 students in 2026 despite having capacity for about 1,200.

To meet the extra demand, the college installed four demountable classrooms and repurposed storage rooms to create additional teaching space.

Hobart College's overcapacity problem stands in stark contrast to the other government colleges surrounding the state's capital, which are all operating below capacity this year.

Rosny College was sitting at 80 per cent capacity, Elizabeth College was nearing 70 per cent, and Claremont College was at 45 per cent.

The school promotes itself as a "community where students are known, supported and encouraged".

"When you enrol at Hobart College you are joining a learning community with a long history of excellence," the website states.

Charles Courtney, chair of the Hobart College School Association, said several factors had contributed to the college's enduring demand, including population growth in Kingborough and its reputation among students and families.

"The academic reputation is a very big drawcard for the college,"

Mr Courtney said.

Hobart College consistently ranks among Tasmania's highest-performing schools from both the public and private sectors.

Last year it produced 26 of the top 100 students statewide with the highest tertiary entrance scores.

In comparison, only five students from Elizabeth College and four students from Rosny College made the top 100, while Claremont College produced none.

Hobart College has also led the state in the number of students achieving the maximum Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) score of 99.95 every year since 2015.

But James Broad, the Australian Education Union's (AEU) Tasmanian branch president for the secondary colleges sector, rejects the notion that students need to attend Hobart College to receive a high-quality education.

"The idea that you have to go there to get the best is just not the case," Mr Broad said.

"You will get really good, highly experienced teachers and staff, regardless of whichever school you go to."

Mr Broad said some students were travelling from as far away as Bothwell in the Central Highlands to attend Hobart College, despite having multiple senior secondary options much closer to home.

He said the trend was contributing to overcrowding and putting pressure on students and staff.

"Schools being at 20 per cent overcapacity doesn't help anyone," he said.

"Students struggle to get the help they need, and teachers simply don't have as much time to spend with each student."

Mr Broad also said overcrowding reduced access to facilities, limited subject flexibility and made teachers' workloads unsustainable.

Calls for a long-term capacity solution

To help manage Hobart College's overcapacity problem, the education department announced in late August that it would be limiting who can enrol next year.

The changes mean new students will only be eligible to enrol if they attended year 10 at a designated feeder school or live in their respective intake areas.

These include Dover District School, Huonville High School, Woodbridge School, Kingston High School and Taroona High School.

The changes will not affect current students or prospective students with a sibling already enrolled at the college.

The education department said in a statement to the ABC that students facing "exceptional circumstances" would still be considered for out-of-area enrolments at Hobart College.

However, it did not specify what those circumstances were, and the exemption is not mentioned on the department's website.

Mr Courtney said he was aware of at least 70 prospective students who had to abandon their plans to attend Hobart College after the changes were announced, which occurred almost two months after the school's taster day and weeks after its information evening.

While both the school association and the education union supported the move to scale back student numbers, they said it was only part of the solution.

Mr Courtney said the new enrolment rules were only suitable for the short term, and that additional classrooms were paramount for the college's future.

"There are other buildings currently on that campus that can be looked into to see if they can be converted back into teaching spaces," he said.

Mr Broad meanwhile is calling for tougher enforcement across the whole public school system.

"The AEU calls on the government to implement school zones for all colleges, but also to enforce school zones for primary schools and high schools,"

a spokesperson said.

In Tasmania, students can apply for out-of-area enrolments at primary and high schools for a number of reasons, as long as the school is not at capacity.

Primary schools are also linked to one or more local high schools, guaranteeing students a place.

"The eligibility [for out-of-area enrolments] should be tightened. But at the same time, there should always be carve-outs for students who want to study subjects that are not available at their local college,"

Mr Broad said.

The ABC put questions to the education department about how the new intake area was determined, what proportion of current students would be classified as out-of-area under the changes, and whether intake areas could be introduced elsewhere, but did not receive a response.

Instead, a department spokesperson said Hobart College's growth "has been driven by an increasing demand from students outside the established government feeder school pathway".

Hobart College declined to comment.