GIRLS’ SPORT FIRES KEEBRA GROWTH
ELITE female athletes looking for specialised programs are behind the boom in the Gold Coast’s fastest growing school, according to its principal.
Keebra Park State High School in Southport is home to the city’s fastest growing student population, with enrolment figures ballooning by 17.4 per cent or 142 more students on 2019 – well above the region’s average of 3.3 per cent.
Principal Adam Brandis said community confidence and champion sporting teams were the reason for the growth, with demand for the girls’ program doubling in just over a year.
“I think community confidence in the school has grown and community knowledge about the school,” Mr Brandis said.
“We have a very proud rugby league history in the community but there is more knowledge now that we offer a lot more speciality programs including the Girls Sports Academy, performing arts and music programs.”
The academy and development program is for select students and focuses on developing young females as athletes as well as focusing on their commitment and health.
“The Girls Sports Academy is the real area of growth for us, it has gone from 75 to 150 girls in the space of 15 months,” Mr Brandis said.
“These student have won titles in three different sports, rugby sevens, rugby league and touch football and with that success comes more confidence in the program and more parents wanting to send their children.”
The program also includes rugby union and netball.
“Academic confidence in the school has also grown where we have achieved three OP 1s in 2018 and 2019,”
Mr Brandis said the school had a large enough campus to accommodate more students but believes numbers will stabilise in the future.