The long-term benefits of a Christian School education

The long-term benefits of a Christian school education

In a recent survey by Cardus Education, ‘Australian Schools and the Common Good’, results revealed that:

‘Christian school students were more likely than students in other sectors to agree that their schools emphasised “finding a sense of meaning and purpose and direction in life;” “dealing with the problems of life;” and “dealing with personal relationships.” *

Graduates of Christian schools were found to have a deep sense of belonging and were engaged both with their time and their financial resources to a variety of organisations – religious and nonreligious alike. They tend to embody an outward posture toward community and culture which serves to sustain common life.

This research reflects an actualisation of the desire of Christian schools to shape students into kinds of people who enrich and benefit their neighbours and the community. A key focus of the Christian school movement is to foster a strong community which instils value and purpose. Nurture in the Christian faith is seen as vital to a student forming strong values, purpose and integrity. We believe we are developing responsible global citizens who graduate with a holistic understanding of the world in which they live and a desire to make an impact on the world they will inherit.

These characteristics did not appear to come at the detriment of academic performance with 75% of students from Christian schools reporting that they felt prepared for academic success at university which was the highest result of all school sectors surveyed.

At St Philip’s Christian College, our desire is to create an environment and educational journey for our students which shapes them into young adults who feel equipped to enter a world beyond school with the tools and characteristics which will help them to thrive in every area of their life. A desire to raise students who will find success in their chosen pathway beyond school whether that be further study or vocation, but also in their relationships and their sense of purpose and meaning in all that they choose to do. Students who will leave school with a burning desire to make a difference in their world.

Schools play a critical role in shaping young people who will go on to be instrumental in forming our society and the Australian way of life. It is important that we focus not only academic success but also character development, and be committed to raising adults who will enrich and benefit our society and not be solely focused on personal gain.

While we are pleased with the results from this survey, we are more committed than ever to ensure that the fabric of our schools remains intact and that in all that we do we keep our focus on providing our students with an education for The Whole of Their Life.

*Cheng, Albert & Iselin, Darren, 2020, Australian Schools and the Common Good, Cardus

Read the full report here