Physical Violence Against School Principals Nearly Doubles in 15 Years: Report

Around half of school leaders in Australia have considered a job change amid rising threats, physical violence and bullying, a new study has revealed.

Data from an Australian Catholic University (ACU) survey covering 15 years of research showed that 47.8 percent of school principals and senior leaders experienced physical violence in 2025, up from 27.3 percent in 2011.

In addition, threats of violence surged from 37.9 percent to 53.7 percent over the same period.

These threats often come from students, parents, and sometimes other staff members. For instance, in December 2025, a teacher allegedly attacked a principal at Melbourne’s Keysborough Secondary College after learning his contract would not be renewed.

“Unfortunately, we hear instances of parents (who) have have brought in implements and banged on tables, shaken walls and doors,” ACU associate professor Paul Kidson said in comments obtained by AAP.

“Those are utterly inappropriate workplace behaviours for anybody to be subjected to.”

The study also found some schools had to restrict parental access to drop-off and pick-up areas due to escalated tension.

Regarding mental health, the study found rising stress levels, with 10 percent of principals reporting severe anxiety.

Burnout was also prevalent, with school leaders working an average of 54 hours per week and incurring around $25,000 (US$17,000) in annual productivity losses due to time spent managing difficult behaviours.

Comments in the report reflected the experiences of many senior school staff, with one participant describing it as the hardest job they had ever done.

“There is very little space in my life for anything else,” the person said. “I know it is impossible to meet all of the demands and expectations on me”.

The ACU research mirrors similar outcomes of a recent Monash University study which surveyed 256 public schools and found 64.8 percent of the principals had experienced either physical violence, verbal abuse, gender-based violence or sexual harassment while at work.

Lead Monash researcher, professor Jane Wilkinson, said Australian principals often not received enough support from the education system.

“Decades of underfunding of our government schools means that public-school principals are the proverbial canaries in the coalmine. Public school principals are expected to educate our most disadvantaged students without adequate funding, frontline services, or support” she said.

“Violence in schools is neither inevitable nor acceptable. But principals and highly disadvantaged communities are being forced to endure the emotional and physical brunt of this underfunding that is a key factor in escalating aggression and violence.”

Wilkinson’s comments were echoed by the Australian Principals Federation, which said the lack of support for school principals was a “major factor in the escalation of violence in schools.”