Australian Schools – Fees and Terms

Schooling types

In South Australia, children start their schooling between the ages of 4 and 5; they can leave at 16 (transferring to vocational study, apprenticeships or into the workplace) or stay on for a further two years study, usually in preparation for tertiary study.

There are three main types of education in South Australia:
Public schooling — public education is funded by the Australian Government and provides free tuition for all students. A compulsory school fee of around AU$223 is charged each year—but only to cover the cost of necessities such as libraries, sporting fees and books. Public schools offer innovative, advanced and diverse curricula—and most are co-educational.
Catholic schooling — South Australia has a number of schools that are privately run and subsidised by the Catholic Education Office. To find out more, contact the SA Commission for Catholic Schools.
Private schooling — South Australia also has a number of independent, privately-owned schools for which tuition is charged. To find out more, contact the Association of Independent Schools of SA.

School terms

School terms vary slightly between states, the DECS website has the dates. Note also, term dates can differ between public and private schools.