This bulletin was originally published 9 February 2026.

Overview

CESE's Language diversity in NSW Government schools, 2025 bulletin summarises language backgrounds other than English (LBOTE) of students enrolled in NSW public schools in March 2025. The census of LBOTE students was conducted in all NSW government schools, including preschools, intensive English centres and distance education centres.

In March 2025, 40% (312,242) of NSW public school students came from homes where languages other than English were spoken by the student and/or at least one parent or carer.

The proportion of students from a language background other than English (LBOTE) has increased each year over the past decade, rising from 32.3% in 2015 to 40% in 2025 – an increase of 7.7 percentage points.