The 215 students will bring the school up to capacity for year 7 and will mean students hoping to join the school may be put on a waiting list. 

Principal Mark Pauschmann said many parents with students enrolled had transient  employment backgrounds so he expected positions to become available throughout the year. 

“At this stage there isn’t too many on the waiting list,” he said.

Students from the feeder Catholic schools St Mary’s and Catherine McAuley are not guaranteed entry to James Sheahan as the students must still go through the same application process as others. 

The process involves an interview and the school’s executive looks at academic marks as well as report cards. 

“The students from the feeder Catholic schools are all so beautiful we’re happy to have them all,” Mr Pauschmann said. 

“They already know the school’s values and core ethos.”

Mr Pauschmann said he did not know if the boom in enrolments was to do with the school’s popularity or a population increase. 

According to census data comparing 2006 with 2011, there is a 6 per cent decrease in the number of children aged between 10 and 19 years in Orange. 

Mr Pauschmann said the increase in enrolments meant the school had made “a number” of temporary teaching positions permanent.

The school is hoping to attract more government funding, which will enable it to expand to cater for the increase in families choosing a Catholic education for their children. 

“It’s a shame we don’t have the extra room but if the grants are approved we will be able to remedy that,” Mr Pauschmann said.

nicole.kuter@fairfaxmedia.com.au