August 28, 2026 — 5:00amOn the fast-growing fringes of Greater Brisbane, the organisations that run private schools are being forced to compete with cashed-up residential developers for land.More than 80 schools will be needed in Caboolture, Logan and Ipswich in the next two decades, according to Queensland government projections, as the areas become home to 70,000 more school-aged children.But with plans to build more than a dozen new public schools in the region by 2030, one expert has warned that the Catholic and independent sectors face serious constraints in meeting south-east Queensland parents’ demand for private education.School buildings under construction at the site that became Notre Dame College on the Sunshine Coast.Wallis MediaWillowtree Planning’s Curtis Goode, an urban planner with almost 20 years’ experience in school developments, said access to schools from all three education sectors – state, Catholic, and independent – was a crucial ingredient for Queensland’s high-growth areas.In some instances, he said, school zones not being laid out beyond future state school sites meant private schools were left competing for residential land parcels – as was happening in the Ripley Valley priority development area (PDA), west of Ipswich.The state government predicted the area would need 15 state primary schools and six state high schools, but had to date begun developing just one primary school.“You’ve got the non-government sector, at the moment, trying to look for land in there,” Goode said.“Brisbane Catholic Education had bought land ... long before [the PDA] really took effect, but you’d be looking at similar land selling for $15 to $20 million now, which probably puts most schools out of the equation.”A spokesperson for Brisbane Catholic Education – the Brisbane Catholic Archdiocese’s educational arm – said it took roughly five years from early planning to opening a school, in a “complex and long-term undertaking”.“Some challenges include available land and its suitability, planning approvals, funding and ongoing challenges facing the construction environment including rising costs and labour shortages,” the spokesperson said.Notre Dame College was built for families in the fast-growing Aura development at Bells Creek.Wallis Media“In PDAs, preferred locations for state schools are generally identified through the State Government’s planning process.“However, locations for non-government schools are not typically identified, requiring BCE to independently identify and secure suitable land to meet future demand.”BCE’s newest schools on Brisbane’s fringes include Sophia College at Plainland, west of Ipswich and Notre Dame College, within Sunshine Coast development Aura.Independent Schools Queensland chief executive Chris Mountford said private schools struggling to open schools in growing areas often pointed to land and infrastructure constraints.“The challenge is ensuring suitable land for schools is identified and secured early in the planning process,” Mountford said.Independent school King’s Christian College opened a prep to 12 campus in Logan in 2020, and expected to open its fourth campus in Ipswich Council’s western growth corridor in 2028.The college’s head of marketing and enrolments, Stephen Wruck, said the school was deliberately targeting fast-growing areas, but had found that acquiring suitable land was a challenge.“We are in conversation with developers and land-holders,” he said.“It is of benefit to a housing development to have a prep to year 12 school in close proximity, so it may be that the developer is willing to sell a parcel of land … to a school at a price the school can afford,” he said.Wruck said typically the land would need to be rezoned, and the school would need to satisfy “multiple departments in local council and state government”.The Education Department said it worked closely with Economic Development Queensland to determine locations for new schools, and considered existing capacity, expansion opportunities, and land availability.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.From our partners