Australian students are increasingly weighing future study and employment when deciding whether to continue history into their senior secondary years.
In an article first published in The Conversation, Deakin University academics Rebecca Cairns and Kerri Anne Garrard found career planning was a significant consideration for students dropping the subject. Their findings come as the national share of Year 12 students studying ancient or modern history continues to decline.
In a 2024 survey of 290 students in Years 10, 11 and 12, 80% of Year 10 students who discontinued history considered future study and career plans important to their decision. Among students who continued with history, about 63% saw little connection between the subject and future employability.
One student who did not choose history said: “Not interested because it doesn’t help my future career.”
The findings point to a tension between how students value history and how they assess its practical relevance after school. Research into student engagement with history has also examined how young Australians interpret the subject and historical narratives.
Fewer students continue history into Year 12
Cairns and Garrard also examined Year 12 history participation across every Australian state and territory between 2009 and 2024.
Their study found that history enrolments had not kept pace with growth in the overall Year 12 population. They estimated 14.7% of Year 12 students studied ancient or modern history in 2024.
Longer-term figures suggest participation has been falling for decades. Previous research estimated about 21% of Year 12 students studied history in 1993, declining to around 18% by 2001.
Writing in The Conversation, Cairns and Garrard cautioned against describing the subject as being in a national “crisis” at present. However, they estimated participation could fall below 10% within a decade if the current trajectory continues.
The researchers also acknowledged limitations in comparing enrolments over long periods. Available data does not always capture students completing Year 12 subjects early or history courses offered only in particular jurisdictions. Curriculum reforms and differences between state systems can also affect comparisons.
Changes to the Australian Curriculum have meanwhile continued to shape how history and other humanities subjects are taught in schools.
Decline varies considerably between states
The national figures do not reflect a consistent decline across every jurisdiction or history subject.
Modern history enrolments have remained relatively stable in Queensland, falling 1% since 2009. New South Wales recorded growth of 9.6% over the same period. Ancient history enrolments in both states, however, fell by almost one-third.
Victoria recorded a different pattern. Ancient history enrolments doubled after the subject was introduced in 2016.
South Australia, whose figures include Northern Territory students, recorded an 11% fall in ancient history and a 36% decline in modern history. Western Australian modern history enrolments fell by almost half from 2009.
Those differences suggest local curriculum structures and subject availability may be influencing participation alongside broader attitudes towards the humanities. The place of humanities education has also been debated as schools balance it against other curriculum priorities.
Students still see value in the subject
Students’ concerns about employability did not necessarily mean they considered history unimportant. The research found many students believed historical knowledge could help people make better decisions about the future.
One student who did not study history in Years 11 and 12 said: “Young people today should be aware of the mistakes and victories of the past to form a better future […] We discover role models from history and aspire to create a better society in the future.”
The challenge for schools, the researchers argued, is not simply persuading students that history has value. It is connecting that value more clearly with students’ future lives, further study and employment.
Higher education policy may also influence those perceptions. The federal Job-Ready Graduates funding arrangements increased student contributions for many humanities courses from 2021, contributing to debate over the relative value of humanities and STEM pathways.
Cairns and Garrard argued that history curricula should give students more opportunities to apply historical knowledge and critical thinking to contemporary issues. Reversing the decline in enrolments may depend on whether schools can show students that history is not just about the past, but also about understanding the world they live in.