The percentage of Queensland students needing special resources because they struggle with mental health, behaviour, or emotional regulation has doubled in 10 years, the national curriculum body has found.
One in 10 students across the state’s public and private schools needed accommodations for conditions in these categories, according to the latest data released by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority on Wednesday.
When included with other students who had learning difficulties or cognitive impairments, 23.5 per cent of students were classified as needing learning support for invisible disabilities.
Parents were increasingly acting when they noticed something was wrong and their child was not coping at school, Queensland University of Technology’s Dr Rebecca English said.
“Parents report that their young person is being moved through the grades even where basic skills in literacy and numeracy aren’t being met,” she said.
English, who specialises in alternative education pathways, said other parents found their children suffered from severe emotional distress and anxiety that could, in extreme cases, prevent them from attending school.
She said parents were “less willing to trust the process” and instead finding support – such as occupational therapists, speech therapists, psychologists, and support staff – for their children.
ACARA’s data measured both diagnosed and undiagnosed school students, and found nationally, the number of students needing additional learning supports had grown 9 per cent since 2015.
In Queensland, the number of students experiencing learning difficulties from emotional, social, and mental health struggles ballooned after 2020.
In the five years leading up to 2020, the proportion of students needing supports for these issues grew by 1.5 per cent overall, while between 2020 and 2025 it grew by about 1 per cent each year.
The Queensland growth mirrored national figures, which put the number of young people classified as having some form of disability at 1.13 million, an increase of 2 per cent between 2024 and 2025.
English said the increasing demand for student support led many parents away from mainstream schooling.
“Parents report their child is on a school disciplinary absence so frequently, they are rarely at school, so they are not able to go to work,” she said.
“Parents are stuck in a situation where they need to find an alternative education setting, even if that means keeping the young person home.”
Parents, English said, found standard classrooms did not have the resources to stick to individual assistance plans, while in other instances, students were turned off their schools after being repeatedly suspended for poor behaviour.
Parents were increasingly seeking out special assistance schools, she said.
Independent Schools Australia – and its Queensland branch – said these schools were the fastest growing in their sector, which itself grew by 32.4 per cent between 2015 and 2025.
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