When does school become compulsory in Western Australia?

In Pre-primary, in the year a child turns 5 by 30 June. Kindergarten, the year before, is not compulsory, and children can start it in the year they turn 4 by 30 June.

Is my child guaranteed a place at our local public school in WA?

Yes, if you live in its local-intake area: the principal must enrol eligible students who live there. Out-of-area applications are considered only if places remain after the closing date.

How do students get into Perth Modern School?

Through the Academic Selective Entrance Test, sat in March of Year 6 after applying in Year 5 or early Year 6. Perth Modern has up to 225 Year 7 places each year, all chosen through the test.

How much can WA public schools charge?

Before Year 7 schools can only ask for a voluntary contribution of up to $60 a year. From Year 7 until the year a student turns 15, the charge is capped at $235 a year, and students cannot be excluded for unpaid charges.

How schools work in Western Australia

Western Australia has government, Catholic and independent schools from Perth to the most remote parts of the state. This guide explains how public schooling is organised, from Kindergarten to the WACE, with links to the WA Department of Education's own pages for the detail.

Starting school

In WA, children can start Kindergarten, which is not compulsory, in the year they turn 4 by 30 June. Compulsory schooling starts in Pre-primary, in the year a child turns 5 by 30 June, and continues to the end of Year 12; children must be enrolled at school from Pre-primary to the end of Year 10, and in Years 11 and 12 approved training or employment can count instead. See enrolling in school (opens in a new tab).

How the years are organised

Primary school runs from Kindergarten and Pre-primary to Year 6, and Year 7 is the first year of secondary school. Students who complete two years of senior secondary schooling to the required standard receive the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE).

Enrolment and local-intake areas

Public schools that may have more applications than places have a local-intake area, and the principal must enrol eligible students who live in it. Use Schools Online (opens in a new tab) to look up a school. You show where you live with a rates notice or lease, plus documents such as a driver's licence or utilities account.

Applications from outside the intake area are considered after the closing date, only if there are places. Priority goes first to students who qualify for an approved specialist program, then to siblings, then to other students, nearest first. Kindergarten applications for the following year close on the first Friday of Term 3. See the department's step-by-step guide to enrolling (opens in a new tab).

Government, Catholic and independent schools

Most Catholic schools in WA belong to the Catholic education system, and independent schools are private, self-administered organisations. See government, Catholic or independent schools.

Gifted and Talented programs and Perth Modern School

Gifted and Talented academic, arts and languages programs run at 24 public secondary schools, with places from Year 7 and a limited number in Years 9 to 11. Selection starts in Year 5, with testing in Year 6. For the 2028 intake, applications are open from 13 October 2026 to 6pm on 5 February 2027, and the Academic Selective Entrance Test is on 6 March 2027 in Perth, Bunbury and Albany, and on 8 and 9 March 2027 in other regional areas.

Perth Modern School is the only WA school where every student is selected through the Academic Selective Entrance Test, with up to 225 places in Year 7 each year. John Curtin College of the Arts selects through the test plus workshops, auditions and interviews. See Gifted and Talented (opens in a new tab) and our guide to selective schools.

Fees, contributions and charges

WA's School Education Regulations cap what public schools can ask for. Until Year 7, schools can only ask for a voluntary contribution, of no more than $60 a year. From Year 7 until the end of the year a student turns 15, schools can set a charge of no more than $235 a year. The School Education Act says a student cannot be excluded from school because charges have not been paid.

Distance education and boarding

The School of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE) is an online school for students who are geographically isolated, travelling, unable to study the courses they want locally, or managing a long-term illness. Five Schools of the Air, at Carnarvon, Kalgoorlie, Derby, Meekatharra and Port Hedland, each serve large areas of the state. See distance education (opens in a new tab).

Nine residential colleges, at Albany, Broome, City Beach, Esperance, Geraldton, Merredin, Moora, Narrogin and Northam, are for country students; City Beach in Perth is for country students in Gifted and Talented programs, who may also get a boarding allowance. See our guide to boarding schools.

NAPLAN and My School

Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in Western Australia, as everywhere in Australia, sit NAPLAN tests in reading, writing, conventions of language and numeracy each March; in 2027 the testing window is 10 to 22 March.

Each school's profile on My School (opens in a new tab) shows its NAPLAN results alongside its enrolments, staff and finances. Read results with care: they reflect the students a school enrols as well as its teaching, and a visit tells you far more. Our guide to My School, NAPLAN and ICSEA explains how to read a profile.

Schools in Western Australia on Schools Near Me

We list 1,132 schools in Western Australia: 815 government, 155 Catholic and 162 independent, including special schools. See every school in Western Australia, or filter by sector: government, Catholic or independent.

The council areas with the most schools are Stirling (74), Wanneroo (68), Joondalup (64), Swan (51) and Rockingham (48).

Common questions

When does school become compulsory in Western Australia?: In Pre-primary, in the year a child turns 5 by 30 June. Kindergarten, the year before, is not compulsory, and children can start it in the year they turn 4 by 30 June.
Is my child guaranteed a place at our local public school in WA?: Yes, if you live in its local-intake area: the principal must enrol eligible students who live there. Out-of-area applications are considered only if places remain after the closing date.
How do students get into Perth Modern School?: Through the Academic Selective Entrance Test, sat in March of Year 6 after applying in Year 5 or early Year 6. Perth Modern has up to 225 Year 7 places each year, all chosen through the test.
How much can WA public schools charge?: Before Year 7 schools can only ask for a voluntary contribution of up to $60 a year. From Year 7 until the year a student turns 15, the charge is capped at $235 a year, and students cannot be excluded for unpaid charges.

Sources

We check guides against official sources. Rules can change, and some details vary by area, so check with the source before you act.

Last updated 1 November 2026.