Page 26 - StudyTravel Magazine October 2025 Issue

SECONDARY SCHOOL

TRENDS Numbers in 2025 still down compared

with 2019 for international

USA
Australia
Canada
UK
SPECIAL REPORT secondary school enrolments by:
0%
International student recruitment for -10%
the secondary sector in key destinations -12%
is struggling to reach pre-Covid levels, -20% -19%
as Bethan Norris finds out by comparing -26%
industry statistics. -30%
-40% -34%
SECONDARY

Terry Engel, nationalities are wanting to start With the amount of closures and
Bodwell High at a younger age. Also, I am finding changes to UK boarding schools at
School, Canada, that more students who are looking the moment, there might well be a
www.bodwell.edu to study in schools overseas seem slight upturn for schools that inno-
to have more learning or health vate and invest.”
“One of the biggest obstacles in challenges. Generally speaking, I
Canada has been study permits - am finding the reasons for wanting Katy Nicketakis,
especially for students from devel- to have an overseas education has Lincoln Academy,
oping countries. This makes it tough changed now. The current cohort of USA, https://lin-
to expand into new, non-traditional students are coming from a wider colnacademy.org
source markets. Secondly, the range of countries, including the
number of schools based in source Middle East.” “It was a very tough spring for
countries offering an international international student recruitment
curriculum has expanded, online Remco Weeda, in the USA. With all F-1 and J-1 visa
high school diplomas, and cheaper Scarborough appointments closed for almost
options outside of the four destina- College, UK, a month in June, many students
tions have all added to the competi- https:// changed their mind about coming to
tion pool making it a buyer’s market. scarboroughcollege.co.uk school in the USA. We are concerned
Differentiating our education from about the long-term damages that
others is the challenge. I honestly “With increasing costs (VAT, visas, the visa pause and threats on US
think traditional destination markets etc), the burden is on us to continue universities will have upon interest
have enjoyed their best days.” to show there is value in coming to in US schools. The uncertainty that
this country. Things are becoming is facing boarding enrolments right
Leeanne Moriarty, less affordable and so families are now is unprecedented. Our cur-
Mercedes College, looking at investing in education rent presidential administration is
Australia, rather than simply paying for it. pushing more school choice for all
www.mercedes. They refuse to be seen as mere cash domestic students which could lead
catholic.edu.au cows. We need a culture change, to higher boarding enrolments but
desperately. We need to start tak- they are also implementing higher
“Our numbers have reached our ing time to get to know them and international tariffs and altering
pre-Covid quota and are increasing. understand why they’re coming to international aid programs and for-
Schools have to be more diverse the UK, why they’re coming to study eign relations, which could
with their marketing, which takes here, at our school, and we need to lead to a decline in global
more funding and time. Some value the sacrifice they’re making. interest in US education.”

OCTOBER 2025 23