There are 87 public schools in Canberra and thousands throughout Australia. But there's something really special about Mawson Primary, says principal Amanda Andrews.
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"We're the best in the universe," she said.
It would seem that many Canberra families agree. Enrolments at the Woden school have more than doubled in the past five years, growing from 188 students in 2012 to 460 by February this year.
The increase has earned Mawson Primary the title of Canberra's fastest-growing public primary school, excluding those that have recently opened in Gungahlin and Weston.
Mawson Primary year 2 student Mary Alem answers quickly and with a familiar phrase when asked why she attends the popular government school.
"I'm here because my mum and dad came here to work in Canberra - and they knew it was the best school in the universe," she said.
"The thing I like about it is that everybody's really kind."
Ms Andrews credits the school's focus on Mandarin as a large driver of the increase in students. Families can opt into a Mandarin immersion program where classes have a certain number of lessons delivered each week in the Chinese language.
"We have programs here that some parents will come for, we have families who come because it's their local school," the former Telopea Park School principal said.
"But everybody at school participates in all activities. Parents can opt to have them either in the immersion program or just do LOTE (language other than English)."
Students come from more than 32 language backgrounds but the Mandarin immersion program is open to everyone. The school has also honed in on science and sustainability, and prides itself on its welcoming community.
"We were just chatting with a parent and she came to our school because she had a child with some disabilities and she had another person from our school who said my little person's gone there and it's just wonderful," Ms Andrews said.
Enrolments at Woden primary schools have increased 29 per cent since 2012 with Garran Primary again nearing capacity.
Giralang Primary grew almost 90 percent over the same period and a further five schools have experienced more than 50 per cent growth: North Ainslie Primary, Yarralumla Primary, Hughes Primary, Maribyrnong Primary and Taylor Primary.
Behind Gungahlin, where primary school enrolments grew 43 per cent over five years, Weston topped the list for student growth at 35 per cent. Molonglo received funding for a new school in the latest ACT budget.
Woden was next, followed by southside schools (19 per cent), Belconnen (18 per cent), north Canberra (12 per cent) and Tuggeranong on 3 per cent.
Each figure includes preschool students.
University of Canberra education expert Louise Watson said enrolments usually grew in line with population growth.
"But many cities have the problem of cyclical growth, in that when a suburb is new, with lots of young families, it has a baby boom and needs lots of school places, then after the kids grow up, the parents stay on for 20 to 30 years and school enrolments slump," she said.
"During those times, governments often close schools in those suburbs, as they need to build new schools in new baby boom areas. But eventually, the old people leave the older suburbs and the cycle of enrolment growth begins again."
An ACT Education Directorate spokeswoman said: "We actively monitor and undertake forward enrolment planning for all areas of the ACT, including already-established areas.
"The education directorate works with other ACT government agencies on demographic analysis and makes plans accordingly."
Mawson Primary's growth has not been without its challenges. Ms Andrews listed working in a school built in 1968, maintaining staffing levels and finding bilingual teachers as sometimes difficult.
But the school is only on the up, Ms Andrews said - after all, it's the best in the universe.
