Overcrowded and vulnerable public schools in north and western Sydney could be hit hardest by budget cuts over the next decade as the federal government strips up to $9.6 billion from NSW schools.
The news came as NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli pleaded with his colleagues in Canberra to commit to the final two years of Gonski funding.
The figures are based on the Coalition's commitment to tie funding to inflation rather than the former Labor government's plan to increase funding between 3 per cent and 4.7 per cent per year.
The Department of Education's school enrolment figures across the state's electorates reveal schools in the Bradfield electorate could be the hardest hit.
The area includes some of the most overcrowded schools in the state such as Killara. The figures suggest the electorate stands to lose up to $271 million in funding over the next decade, based on Labor's higher level of indexation.
The estimates indicate electorates in Sydney's west could also wear more than $220 million in cuts over the next 10 years in some areas.
The region has some of the highest rates of vulnerable children, Australian early development census figures show.
Based on the enrolment data, the Chifley electorate faces up to $270 million in cuts, where areas such as Blacktown contain 23.8 per cent of children found to be vulnerable.
A spokesman for Federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne said the figures were "fanciful".
This year's budget figures show total government funding for schools in NSW will be $21.3 billion over the forward estimates
"There are absolutely no cuts to school funding. In fact, the budget shows school funding is at record levels and continues to rise every year," the spokesman said.
On Thursday, Mr Piccoli highlighted the divide between himself and his federal colleagues on the issue of school funding while speaking at Villawood North Public School in Sydney's west.
"The NSW government remains committed to funding its share of the six-year Gonski agreement and continues to advocate for the federal government to honour the agreement in full," he said.
The federal government has not committed to the final two years of the Gonski reforms, which would have delivered the bulk of funding to disadvantaged schools.
Mr Piccoli said Villawood North Public School was a model for the success of the Gonski reforms.
"The school is building teacher capacity and improving student engagement, leading to student growth in NAPLAN above the state average," he said.
Labor's acting education spokesman, Mark Butler, said the cuts over the course of a decade would affect every student in the classroom.
"This new data shows the true impact of the government's savage school cuts; quite simply, the students who need the most help will be those hardest hit," he said. "By walking away from the Gonski reforms, vulnerable students will miss out on the resources they need to catch up, and risk falling further behind in their education."
The Gonski alliance between federal Labor and NSW Liberal politicians comes as education ministers from around the country prepare to travel to Brisbane on Friday to discuss the future of education.
The Council of Australian Governments education ministers meeting will debate future funding plans between the federal government and the states and territories.
