Jan 31 2009
The School System in Australia
Source: Teacher Files
In Australia, school is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 15. This contrasts with compulsory schooling between the ages of 5 and 16 in the UK, meaning that children in the UK have to attend school for two extra years! I read that there are plans to extend the school leaving age in Australia to 17 from 2010, so that would mean that Australian children also had 11 years of education, as in the UK.
There are both public and private schools in Australia. The public schools are government-funded and are free for Australian citizens and permanent residents. However, if you are on a temporary visa (as we are), you have to pay for your child to attend a public school. The amount payable varies from state to state. In New South Wales, it is A$4,500 per child per year. I have heard that it is less in the other states.
Children attend primary school for 7 years, starting in the Kindergarten class and continuing to the end of year 6. They then attend high school. Within the state system, there are some selective high schools which provide education for students who are high achievers academically.
I would be interested to hear how the Australian system compares to the system in other countries, especially the USA, as I have heard that it is quite similar to the US system.
Very interesting that they charge those on a Visa. Here in the US, children start Kindergarten at age 5 for half days. Then go to regular school at age 6 until around age 17, so it for 12 or 13 years total as Kindergarten is optional.
Hi Cindy23,
The kindergarten system sounds a bit like the UK. Although children can start pre-school at the age of 3, it is only for 2.5-3 hours a day until they start school around 5 years old. They don’t seem to do half-days at all in Australia (not at daycare, pre-school or school).