Most Australian children start school at about five, but each state and territory sets its own cut-off date, gives the first year its own name, and decides when school becomes compulsory. If you’ve moved interstate, or your child has a birthday near the cut-off, it can get confusing quickly. Here is the school starting age in every state and territory, in one table.
What age do kids start school in Australia?
In most places, a child can start the first year of school in the year they turn five, as long as their birthday falls before the state’s cut-off date. The cut-off is what varies: it is 30 April in Victoria and the ACT, 30 June in Queensland and Western Australia, 31 July in NSW, and 1 January in Tasmania. South Australia has two start times in the year.
Being old enough to start isn’t the same as having to start. In most states, school becomes compulsory at six, so many families have a choice about which year their child begins. Western Australia and Tasmania are different, as the table shows.
School starting age by state
| State or territory | First year, and when a child can start | When school is compulsory |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria | Foundation (Prep). To start in 2027, a child “will need to turn 5 years old by 30 April 2027”. | “School is compulsory for children who have turned 6 years old.” |
| New South Wales | Kindergarten. A child can start at the beginning of the year “if they turn 5 on or before 31 July that year”. | “All children must be in compulsory schooling by their 6th birthday.” |
| Queensland | Prep. Children “must be 5 by 30 June in the year they enrol in Prep.” | From 6 years and 6 months, but Prep must be completed before Year 1. |
| South Australia | Reception. Turns 5 before 1 May: starts in Term 1. Turns 5 between 1 May and 31 October: starts in Term 3. After 31 October: starts the next year. | “Children must be enrolled at school by the age of 6.” |
| Western Australia | Pre-primary. A child must be “5 years old by 30 June”. | Compulsory schooling starts in Pre-primary. |
| Tasmania | Prep. “A child who is at least 5 years of age on 1 January in any year must be enrolled at a school.” | “Children 5 to 17 years of age must be enrolled and attend school or an approved home education program.” |
| Australian Capital Territory | Kindergarten. A child “must be aged 5 on or before 30 April of the year they start school”. | From 6 years of age. |
| Northern Territory | Transition. A child can attend transition “when they turn 5”. Check the exact cut-off date with your school. | “School is compulsory for all children from the year they are 6 years old before 30 June.” |
Last checked 17 October 2026. These rules are for government schools. Catholic and independent schools can set their own rules, so check with the school you’re enrolling in.
Kinder, Kindergarten, Prep, Reception: what’s the difference?
This is the part that trips families up, especially after a move. The same word can mean different years in different states.
- Kindergarten is the first year of school in NSW and the ACT. In the ACT, “kindergarten is the first year of primary school”.
- Kindergarten is the year before school in Western Australia and Tasmania. In WA, Kindergarten is for children who are “4 years old by 30 June”, and it isn’t compulsory. In Tasmania, a child who is 4 by 1 January can go to Kindergarten, which is optional and run in schools.
- In Victoria, kinder is the early learning program before school, and the first year of school is Foundation, which most families call Prep.
- Prep is the first school year in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania. Reception is South Australia’s name, Pre-primary is Western Australia’s and Transition is the Northern Territory’s.
So a “Kindergarten” child in Sydney is in their first year of school, while a “Kindergarten” child in Perth or Hobart hasn’t started school yet. In the Northern Territory, “Preschool and transition are recommended but are not compulsory.”
Can my child start school at 4?
Often, yes, if their birthday falls before the cut-off. A Victorian child who turns five in March 2027 can start Prep in late January 2027, while they are still four. In NSW, a child who turns five by 31 July can start Kindergarten at the beginning of that year, aged four and a half.
Tasmania works the other way round: children must be five by 1 January, so every Prep child is already five. Tasmania does allow some children to start earlier: “A child can enter Kindergarten or Prep up to six months earlier than usual if they meet ‘gifted’ requirements.”
South Australia’s two intakes mean children who start mid-year stay longer in their first year. The Department says Term 1 starters “will generally complete 4 terms of reception”, while mid-year starters “will complete 6 terms of reception”.
Should I wait a year?
If your child’s birthday is close to the cut-off, you may be weighing up whether to start now or next year. Where school isn’t compulsory until six, many families have that choice. Queensland says so directly: “It is not compulsory for your child to attend the Prep year as soon as they are old enough”, and “You can delay their entry by 1 year”, although Prep must be completed before Year 1.
There’s no single right answer. Talk to your child’s kinder or preschool teacher, who sees them with other children every week, and to the school you’re thinking of. Our calm checklist for starting Prep focuses on what actually helps most: independence, getting along with others, and feeling safe and excited.
Starting school in Victoria in 2027
If you’re in Victoria, here is how the year before Prep usually runs:
- Term 2: applications for government schools opened at the start of Term 2 (Monday 20 April 2026), and were due by Friday 31 July 2026.
- Terms 3 and 4: your child’s kinder teacher writes a Transition Learning and Development Statement, which “is usually written in terms 3 and 4” and goes to the school.
- Over summer: practise the journey to school, label belongings and settle into a predictable routine, as the Victorian Government’s tips for starting school suggest.
- Late January: students in government schools start on Thursday 28 January 2027. See our 2027 term dates for the whole year.
In other states, your education department’s enrolment page, listed in the sources below, has the dates and steps for your area.
Questions parents ask
What age do kids start school in Australia?
Most children start the first year of school at about five. Each state sets a cut-off date: for example, a child must turn 5 by 30 April in Victoria and the ACT, by 30 June in Queensland and Western Australia, by 31 July in NSW, and by 1 January in Tasmania.
What is the school cut-off date in each state?
Victoria and the ACT: 30 April. NSW: 31 July. Queensland and WA: 30 June. Tasmania: 1 January. South Australia has two intakes: turning 5 before 1 May means a Term 1 start, and turning 5 between 1 May and 31 October means a Term 3 start. In the NT, children can start transition when they turn 5.
Is Prep or Kindergarten compulsory?
It depends on the state. School is compulsory from 6 in Victoria, NSW, South Australia, the ACT and the NT. In Queensland, Prep must be completed before Year 1. In Western Australia, compulsory schooling starts in Pre-primary, and in Tasmania, children 5 to 17 must be enrolled.
What is the difference between kinder, Kindergarten, Prep, Pre-primary, Reception and Transition?
They are local names. Kindergarten is the first year of school in NSW and the ACT, but the year before school in WA and Tasmania. The first school year is called Prep in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania, Reception in South Australia, Pre-primary in WA and Transition in the NT.
Can my child start school at 4?
In many states, yes, if they turn 5 before the cut-off date during their first school year, for example by 30 April in Victoria or 31 July in NSW. In Tasmania, children must be 5 by 1 January, although some gifted children can start up to six months early.
Should I hold my child back a year?
Where school isn’t compulsory until 6, many families can choose. Talk to your child’s kinder teacher and the school, and think about independence, friendships and how your child copes with new places, rather than reading or writing skills.
Sources
- Enrolling in Foundation (Prep), Victorian Government
- Moving from kindergarten to school, Victorian Government
- Tips for starting school, Victorian Government
- Primary school enrolment, NSW Department of Education
- Enrolment age requirements, Queensland Government
- Prep enrolments, Queensland Government
- Starting school, South Australian Department for Education
- Enrol at a Western Australian school, WA Department of Education
- Enrolling your child at school, Tasmanian Department for Education, Children and Young People
- Enrol in a public school, ACT Government
- Age your child attends school, Northern Territory Government
