For students like those at schools across Australia, the wait is long and the need is urgent. Three out of five secondary students who report severe anxiety or depression cannot see a school counsellor regularly. One in four is not completing school at all.
The numbers tell a stark story. According to the latest data, 35.9% of secondary students and 27.4% of primary students report high levels of anxiety, depression, or both. Yet in NSW, only 4% of primary schools have a counsellor on site daily. Across Australia, approximately 10.8% of registered psychologists work in schools, far below what the mental health prevalence suggests is needed.
Over the past 15 years, young people experiencing mental illness in Australia have increased by 50%. Teachers report the change in their classrooms. Many describe students arriving at school unable to concentrate, overwhelmed by anxiety, or withdrawn. Yet many schools lack the trained staff to intervene.
Victoria is attempting a systemic response. The Mental Health in Primary Schools program, rolling out through 2026, will provide funding for every government and low-fee non-government primary school to employ a Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader, typically a classroom teacher trained in mental health intervention. The Victorian Government is investing $200 million over four years and $93.7 million ongoing for this initiative.
But the solution is incomplete. Each school receives between 0.4 and 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) allocations based on enrolment, meaning many schools have part-time leaders juggling counselling responsibilities alongside classroom teaching. Secondary schools across Australia have not received equivalent funding expansion. NSW has made gains, with 1,129 school counselling positions now in place, up 339 since 2016, yet this falls short of demand.
Teachers themselves are struggling. Recent studies from UNSW and Black Dog Institute found that 90% of Australian teachers experience moderate to extremely severe stress, and 47% considered leaving the profession within their first year. When educators are depleted, their capacity to support distressed students diminishes further.
The gap between need and provision creates a version of triage by default. Students with the most acute crises may receive some support. Others wait, hope conditions improve, or drop out entirely. According to education research, 40% of young people with depression or anxiety disorders are not completing secondary school.
State governments have recognised the problem and begun responding. Victoria's expansion is significant. NSW has increased counselling allocations. Yet the funding and workforce constraints remain visible. Schools need not just mental health leaders and counsellors, but trained staff who are paid competitively enough to prevent burnout, retention invested in the profession, and secondary school provisions brought to the same priority level as primary schools.
Until those conditions are met, the gap between what students need and what schools can provide will remain a defining feature of Australian education.