While some schools are making great strides, others are still juggling budget pressures, skill gaps, and choosing the right digital tools, a new report shows.
Now in its third year, Campion Education’s Digital Landscapes in Australian Schools report draws on real data from Australian school staff to highlight what’s working, what’s changed, and what’s holding some schools back.
This year’s report found that nearly one-third (32.9%) of schools now identify as highly technology-enabled – up from 23.1% in 2023 – with more aiming to reach this level within three years.
When how can principals go beyond simply adopting digital tools to ensure these technologies directly improve teaching quality and student learning outcomes, Campion Education CEO Tom Bradley said a focus on the desired pedagogical outcomes and related organisational efficiencies during the initial evaluation and testing of digital tools is critical.
“Often this means that digital champions from different departments in a school should be engaged upfront, from the technology team tasked with the setup and implementation, to the faculty and administration teams who are typically the ultimate end users,” Bradley told The Educator.
“Being really clear on the needs the tool is supposed to address, and capturing quick and regular feedback on whether that it is fact happening, will ultimately ensure successful implementation.”
By sector, non-government schools continue to lead in dual learning and digital integration, but the report noted that government schools are gaining ground in this area.
Source: Digital Landscapes in Australian Schools report 2025
How is AI evolving in Australia’s schools?
Looking ahead, many schools are planning to make changes in the next 12 months, particularly in the area of use of AI, with 20.6% of the respondents saying their school is planning to either introduce or to increase the use of AI tools for teachers and/or students.
More than a third (32.4%) of responses to this question identified that their school was planning to change other aspects of their digital technology usage. Over half of schools plan major digital changes in the next year – shifting to cloud systems, AI, new learning platforms, digital resources, and e-books – while only 13.2% foresee little or no change in their technology use.
“Our findings highlight a clear trend: major digital change is on the horizon, but capability gaps remain,” Bradley told The Educator.
“The most effective professional learning is embedded, peer-led, and iterative – not delivered once, then forgotten. Superusers within schools play a powerful role, but so do cross-school networks that enable faster knowledge-sharing.”
Without this, the rollout of digital tools risks being uneven, says Bradley.
“At Campion, we’re supporting a model that helps schools trial, review and share real-world insights—so others can benefit too. Without active collaboration and peer review, progress risks being uneven,” he said.
“The shift ahead is not just about capability—it’s about fairness and long-term sustainability.”
Staff readiness and equity remain key obstacles
While the report reveals a strong appetite among schools to expand the use of AI, concerns remain around staff readiness, equitable access, and the need for targeted training to ensure these tools genuinely support diverse learning needs.
To guide future-focused digital planning, the report says school leaders should align strategies with their masterplan, ensuring tech supports community, teaching and innovation. Additionally, schools need strong leadership, targeted staff training, robust data governance, and clear cost-benefit analysis.
“As AI and digital tools evolve, agility matters more than certainty,” Bradley said. “Strong alignment between digital strategy and school planning came through clearly in the research—and so did the importance of asking better questions.”
Important considerations for principals in this respect should be how their school can trial AI tools safely while protecting teacher and student trust, where feedback loops can be built into the school’s systems, and who key learnings learning should be coming from – inside and outside the school.
“The schools best placed to thrive aren’t the ones chasing every new tool— but those with a clear purpose, a learning mindset, and the agility to evolve as the landscape shifts.”