Primary school starting age by state and territory
The cut-off date for starting primary school in each Australian state and territory, and what the first year is called locally.
Updated 27 September 2026. Rules change yearly; the linked official pages are the final word.
Australia doesn’t have one national starting age for school — every state and territory sets its own cut-off date, and even the name of the first year of school changes as you cross a border. If you’re relocating, or just trying to work out when your child is eligible to start, here’s the full picture in one place.
The basic rule everywhere
In every state and territory, children generally start school in the year they turn five, provided they reach that age by a set cut-off date — but the date itself, and what happens if your child misses it, varies a lot. Miss the cut-off and your child normally starts the following year instead, though most states also allow an early-entry application in specific circumstances (very rarely, and generally requiring evidence the child is ready).
Cut-off dates and first-year names, state by state
| State/territory | First year name | Cut-off to start that year | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Kindergarten | Turns 5 by 31 July | NSW Dept of Education |
| Victoria | Foundation (Prep) | Turns 5 by 30 April | vic.gov.au |
| Queensland | Prep | Turns 5 by 30 June | qld.gov.au |
| Western Australia | Pre-primary | Turns 5 by 30 June | WA Dept of Education |
| South Australia | Reception | Turns 5 by 1 May (term 1 intake); 1 May–31 Oct (mid-year term 3 intake) | education.sa.gov.au |
| Tasmania | Prep | Turns 5 by 1 January of that year | decyp.tas.gov.au |
| ACT | Kindergarten | Turns 5 by 30 April | act.gov.au |
| Northern Territory | Transition | Turns 5 by 30 June | nt.gov.au |
A couple of things worth noticing in that table:
- NSW has the latest cut-off (31 July), which means a NSW child can start Kindergarten more than three months “older” in relative terms than a child born on the same date starting Foundation in Victoria.
- South Australia is the outlier with a genuine mid-year intake — a child turning 5 between 1 May and 31 October can start Reception in term 3 of that same year rather than waiting until the following January, per education.sa.gov.au. Everywhere else runs a single yearly intake at the start of term 1.
- Tasmania’s 1 January cut-off means a child born in late December just scrapes in for that year, while a child born in early January the same age in months misses out by a hair and starts a full year later — a quirk worth knowing if you’re close to that date.
Why the names differ
“Kindergarten” means different things in different states, which catches out a lot of interstate movers:
- In NSW and Tasmania, Kindergarten (or in Tasmania’s case, sometimes still informally called Kinder) is the first year of compulsory primary school, for five-year-olds.
- In most other states, “kindergarten” refers to the year before school — an early childhood program, often at a preschool or childcare centre, for four-year-olds — while the first year of actual school is called Foundation/Prep, Pre-primary, Reception, or Transition depending on the state.
If you’re moving states with a child already at “kindergarten,” check carefully which meaning applies, since assuming the wrong one can mean enrolling your child a year early or late relative to what you intended.
Compulsory schooling age vs starting age
Starting age and compulsory schooling age are two different things. Every jurisdiction allows children to start the first year of school somewhat before schooling becomes legally compulsory — compulsory ages typically kick in around a child’s sixth birthday, a little later than the standard starting cut-off. This is why a family can, in principle, delay a summer-born or borderline child by a year without breaching compulsory attendance laws, as long as they’re enrolled by the compulsory age that applies in their state.
What this means if you’re relocating or planning ahead
- Check the current year’s official cut-off date for your state before enrolling — this article states the standing rule, but always confirm on the relevant department’s page linked above, since terminology or fine detail (like early-entry conditions) is occasionally updated.
- If you’re moving states with a child already enrolled, contact the receiving state’s education department directly about which year level your child should join — a straight “same year name” transfer doesn’t always line up because of the different cut-off dates.
- If your child’s birthday sits close to your state’s cut-off, talk to your local school or an early childhood professional about whether an earlier or later start might suit them better, rather than assuming the calendar date is the only consideration.