Your child’s school readiness depends on where you live, new AEDC data shows 

Data from Torrens University Australia’s Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU) shows that almost one in four Australian children start school developmentally vulnerable, with little progress since the first national census in 2009. The 2024 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) confirms that vulnerability remains widespread and is strongly linked to remoteness and socio-economic disadvantage. 

 

All children 

 

Many children are still not ready for school. This is concerning, as the five AEDC domains predict later health, wellbeing, and academic success. 

 

• In 2024, just over half (52.9%) of children in their first year of school were assessed as on track across all five areas of early childhood development. 

• Almost one quarter (23.5%) were assessed as developmentally vulnerable on one or more domains. 

• These gaps have remained largely unchanged since 2009, showing entrenched inequities in school readiness. 

 

Parents, especially mothers, play a critical role in child development. Strong correlations in capital cities show that children are more likely to be vulnerable when their mothers have low educational achievement. Conversely, higher maternal education is linked to more children being on track across all five domains. 

 

Family income also matters. AEDC data shows clear links between vulnerability and children living in low-income, welfare-dependent families. Children from families with viable incomes are more likely to thrive educationally. 

 

Correlations (r) between selected 2024 AEDC and social indicators

 

Greater Capital City Area	Children in families where the mother has low educational attainment, 2021		Children in low income, welfare-dependent families, 2023
	DV 1+1	On track2	DV 1+1	On track2
Sydney	0.7	-0.5	0.8	-0.7
Melbourne	0.7	-0.7	0.7	-0.6
Brisbane	0.7	-0.7	0.7	-0.7
Adelaide	0.8	-0.5	0.8	-0.7
Perth	0.8	-0.8	0.8	-0.8
Hobart	0.6	-0.9	0.7	-0.7
Darwin	0.9	-0.4	0.7	-0.4
Canberra	0.5	-0.5	0.5	-0.5

 

1DV 1+ is the proportion of children assessed as being developmentally vulnerable on at least one domain under the AEDC. 

 

1On track under all five domains of the AEDC. 

 

Note: The correlation analysis was undertaken at the Population Health Area level, of which there are some 650 in the capital cities.  A correlation coefficient (r) from 0.5 to 0.7 is considered strong; correlations above 0.7 are considered very strong. 

 

There are similar, or slightly weaker, correlations in the areas outside of the capital cities, covering regional and remote areas. 

 

Equity gaps 

 

The 2024 AEDC shows clear equity gaps in children’s development, both by remoteness and socio-economic disadvantage. 

 

• Children in very remote areas are 40% less likely to be on track compared with those in Major Cities. 

• Twice as many children in Very Remote areas are developmentally vulnerable compared with those in Major Cities. 

• Children in the most disadvantaged areas are 30% less likely to be on track, and almost twice as likely to be vulnerable compared with those in the least disadvantaged areas.

 

State level data reveal particularly poor outcomes in New South Wales and the Northern Territory. In NSW, children in Very Remote areas are 34% less likely to be on track compared with those in Major Cities. In the NT, Very Remote areas show 63% fewer children on track compared with Darwin. 

 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children 

 

Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children remain substantially poorer than for the total population, though there has been improvement since 2009. 

 

• The proportion assessed as on track has risen from 20.4% in 2009 to 33.9% in 2024. 

• Despite this progress, more than 40% remain developmentally vulnerable on one or more domains. 

• Children in Very Remote areas are particularly disadvantaged: 65.6% are developmentally vulnerable on one or more domains, compared with 38.9% in Major Cities. 

• Outside capital cities, children in the most disadvantaged areas are 73% more likely to be developmentally vulnerable compared with those in the least disadvantaged areas. 

 

Key takeaway 

 
The 2024 AEDC confirms that early developmental vulnerability remains widespread and strongly linked to remoteness and disadvantage. Despite current early childhood education initiatives, these early gaps will translate into long-term inequalities in health, wellbeing, and academic success. 

 

Professor John Glover from the Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU), Torrens University Australia said the findings highlight entrenched inequities in school readiness. 

 

“Variations in outcomes are strongly influenced by socioeconomic disadvantage, remoteness, and access to services. While progress has been made for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, the overall picture is one of persistent inequity. These data should inform policymakers and service providers to better target support where it is most needed.” 

 

Background on the AEDC 

 

The AEDC is a population census measuring the development of children in Australia in their first year of fulltime school. First conducted nationwide in 2009 (as the Australian Early Development Index), it provides a national picture of early childhood development outcomes. Results are reported across five domains: 

 

• Physical health and wellbeing 

• Social competence 

• Emotional maturity 

• Language and cognitive skills (school- based) 

• Communication skills and general knowledge 

 

The data presented by PHIDU are for children assessed in their first weeks at school as being: 

 

• Developmentally vulnerable on one or more domains 

• Developmentally vulnerable on two or more domains 

• Developmentally on track on all five domains 

 

Also reported are data for children assessed as vulnerable, at risk, or on track in each of the five domains. 

 

Access to data / resources 

 

Detailed results, including data in Excel workbooks and interactive maps by Population Health Area, Primary Health Network, and Local Government Area, are available at the links below. 

 

Maps, data workbooks (Excel) and Graphs (by Remoteness Area and socioeconomic disadvantage of area) and a PDF showing the highest scores by geographical area for all capital cities and non-metropolitan areas. 

 

 About PHIDU 

 

The Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU) part of Torrens University promotes and manages the collection, dissemination, and utilisation of national, state, and local data for public health purposes. PHIDU is best known for its social health atlases of Australia, pioneered by Professor Glover in the 1990s.