CSA undertakes a range of research covering the areas that are important to school development. These range from the development of school communities and relationships, through to schools choice and levels of parent engagement and satisfaction with Christian schools and the impact that Christian schooling contributes for the common good within society. CSA Research is also a fundamental element in terms of advocacy, as we petition the benefits and contributions that Christian schools make in the marketplace and seek to effectively establish policies and legislation which allow Christian schools to continue to operate and flourish.

Christian Schools Community Profile

CSA has now completed its third important piece of national research on Christian schools that provides unprecedented understanding and insights regarding the parents that select Christian schools for their children. This comprehensive national study, involving 100 Christian schools from across the nation and over 8,500 respondents investigated the perceptions and priorities of our Christian school families as well as their demographic profiles and the way they engage with their school communities.

The Christian Schools Community Profile (CSCP): Why Parents Choose Christian Schools focused specifically on CSA member school parents from across Australia and provided baseline evidence relating to the backgrounds, values, faith commitments, spirituality, interests and decision-making practices and expectations of parents within a dynamic, rapidly changing Australian society. Reports have now been generated for all 100 schools participating in the project and a National Report will be released soon.

Download the Executive Summary

ACSI Flourishing Schools Research

In 2018, the Association of Christian Schools international (ACSI) sought to explore the following questions: How do Christian schools flourish? What elements of school culture contribute to flourishing, and do some elements matter more than others? Is there a roadmap to school flourishing that can be validated by empirical research in Christian schools? The outcome of their rigorous investigations and testing within over 65 schools and 15000 participants was the development of this exciting new survey research tool—the Flourishing School Culture Instrument (FSCI).

The survey clusters a range of validated constructs into five domains of flourishing: Purpose; Relationships; Teaching and Learning; Expertise and Resources; and Well-Being. These domains provide a compelling and comprehensive picture of the areas in which Christian schools can focus their efforts and resources in order to promote a flourishing school culture and community.

View all ACSI Flourishing Schools reports and downloads

Flourishing Schools FSCI Australia Pilot

In late 2020, a number of CSA member schools across Australia were selected for a pilot of the Flourishing Schools Culture Instrument. Seven Australian Christian schools, from diverse locations and states across the country, were recruited by CSA to participate in an Australian pilot of the FSCI. Qualitative follow-up surveys enabled Australian school leaders to provide feedback on the usefulness of FSCI insights in real-time. The qualitative data was positive and showed that leaders are already using FSCI results in their school improvement plans and overall strategic planning. For each of the seven schools participating in the Australia pilot, the FSCI identified a set of five top strength areas and five major areas for growth (based on each school’s individual construct scores). This information is valuable not only for the participating schools themselves but also for the Christian school sector, as it provides a snapshot of the key strengths and areas for improvement for a sample of schools in CSA membership. The resulting research is groundbreaking both in terms of its scope and findings and provides the basis for the first-ever empirically validated model of flourishing in Christian schools. The FSCI Australia Pilot report (coming soon) provides an overview of the instrument design and data analysis, the FSCM, the 2021 Australia pilot results, and understanding how the FSCI can be used in leading school-level change.

An overview of ACSI Flourishing Schools Research

View the overview of the FSCM Australia Pilot

Cardus Education Survey Australia

One of the most comprehensive research projects of its kind, the Cardus Education Survey Australia Project report, entitled “Australian Schools and the Common Good”, was commissioned by a consortium of 6 Christian school associations, including CSA, and sought to measure the contribution of Australian secondary school graduates to the “common good” of society. The report aims to provide a more holistic perspective of graduates rather than the approaches of measuring only academic outcomes,  economic contributions and career pathways of the individual.

Special thanks to the consortium Adventist Schools Australia (ASA), Associated Christian Schools (ACS), Australian Association of Christian Schools (AACS), Christian Education National (CEN), Christian Schools Australia (CSA), and Swan Christian Education Association (SCEA).

View Reports

Learn more about this project

Christian Schools Workforce: Wellbeing & Impact

Thirteen Christian Schools Australia (CSA) member schools have participated in an exploratory study that has investigated the characteristics of K-12 school workforces, including levels of staff resilience, and their potential connection to student outcomes. The sample represented a diverse snapshot of the CSA network, spanning five states (NSW, Qld, Vic, SA and WA), with workforces ranging in size from 21 to 298 staff, and serving student populations ranging from 99 to 1960. Schools were asked to submit data through exporting HR/workforce information into a template spreadsheet and through voluntary response to a brief online workplace resilience survey. This data was later supplemented by school profile and student outcome data sourced from ACARA. PeopleBench researchers used exploratory data analysis, correlation and tests of mean difference (t-test, ANOVA) to examine relationships between the workforce and resilience survey data and the student outcome data. Significantly, the results of the study will also be compared and evaluated against the State of the Sector survey findings (155 schools across all sectors in Australia, including 22,000 students and 3,800 staff).

Download 2018-2019 State of the Sector Report

Download School Workforce Research Report 2019-2020

Relational Schools

In 2017, CSA engaged Dr Rob Loe and the Relational Schools Foundation to survey twenty CSA schools, 11,000 students and some 30 teachers. Specifically, the project explored the impact that relationship and community have upon student well-being and achievement (teacher to student association and student to student association). This was the first of its kind in Australia and subsequent follow-up projects have also been undertaken.

Special thanks to Project Partners: Camp Australia, Christian Super, Christian Venues Association, FACTS Management, The School Photographer

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CSA has partnered with our Tertiary Partners to provide a range of resources for members

View Research Resources | View Tertiary Partners