SCHOOL TYPES · HOW SCHOOLS ARE ORGANISED
Most schools belong to one of three groups: government (public), Catholic, or independent (private). This page explains each one in plain terms. But the group alone won’t tell you if a school is right for your learner, so we’ll also show you what to look at in each school.
No account needed to look around.
Australian schools belong to one of three sectors: government, Catholic and independent. A sector tells you who runs a school and how it’s funded. It doesn’t tell you whether a school is right for your learner, and no sector is better than another.
In 2025, 62.8% of students went to government schools, 20.0% to Catholic schools and 17.2% to independent schools. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Schools 2025. Last checked: 19 October 2026.
Run by your state or territory government. Depending on the state, includes local schools, selective schools, schools with special programs, schools for learners with disability, distance and online schools, and some with boarding.
Non-government schools with a Catholic ethos and religious education. Enrolment rules are set by each diocese’s Catholic schools office, so they differ by area and school.
Non-government schools serving many different communities, most run as their own entity. Some are religious, some are values-based, and some follow an approach such as Montessori or Steiner.
People often say “private school” for any non-government school, Catholic or independent. Sources: Australian Government Department of Education; Independent Schools Australia; Victorian Catholic Education Authority. Last checked: 19 October 2026.
The sector is just one label. A school also has a structure, a student mix, an ethos, a way of teaching, programs and a way of attending. Here are two examples.
A government secondary school with a selective stream, a music program and a local intake area.
An independent school from Foundation to Year 12 with a faith ethos, boarding and the International Baccalaureate.
Most of these turn up in more than one sector. The International Baccalaureate, for example, is taught in some Queensland government schools as well as in non-government ones.
Pick what’s important to you. We’ll say where to look for it across all three sectors, and what School Finder can show you. Nothing is saved.
Pick one or more to see where it can be found.
Not quite. Australia counts Catholic and independent schools as two separate sectors. “Private” is often used for both.
It doesn’t. Schools in the same sector can be very different in programs, support and culture.
They don’t. Selective means places are given by a test. “Specialist” means different things in different states. In Victoria, a specialist school is a school for learners with disability.
Eligible students pay no tuition, but uniforms, camps and other costs still apply. Many schools take learners from outside their area when there’s room, and some families on a temporary visa pay tuition.
None of these is a separate sector. Each one sits inside the government, Catholic or independent sector. They can be whole schools, or a class or program inside an ordinary school. What’s offered, and what it’s called, depends on your state.
Places given by a test. Some states have whole selective schools, some have selective classes inside other schools. In NSW there are fully selective and partially selective high schools. Victoria has four selective entry high schools that take students into Year 9.
Sources: NSW Department of Education; Victorian Government. Last checked: 19 October 2026.
Many states run programs for high-ability learners inside ordinary schools, sometimes online. In Western Australia, Gifted and Talented programs run in 24 public secondary schools. A selective school is one option for a high-ability learner, not the only one.
Source: WA Department of Education. Last checked: 19 October 2026.
Music, sport, languages, science or the arts, run inside schools in all three sectors. Some ask for an audition or a trial.
Most learners with disability go to a local school, with support. Some states also have support classes in mainstream schools, and schools for learners with disability that have their own entry criteria. A diagnosis doesn’t decide the setting. You and the schools work it out together.
Sources: Victorian Government; NSW Department of Education. Last checked: 19 October 2026.
Government schools that teach learners who can’t attend in person, for example because of distance or illness. Your learner is enrolled and taught by the school’s teachers.
Government options include agricultural high schools in NSW and residential colleges for country students in Western Australia. Many independent schools board too. Families in remote areas may be able to get help with boarding costs.
Parents teach their child at home and register with the state. It isn’t the same as distance education, where a school does the teaching.
Two schools in the same suburb can take students in different ways. Things that can matter:
Each school sets out its own rules. EduTrail shows what each school says about entry, such as a zone, a test or an interview.
Look past tuition: ask about every cost.
Tuition is only one part. Families can also pay compulsory levies, voluntary contributions, application fees and deposits, uniforms, books, devices, camps, music and sport, transport, before and after school care, and boarding. Scholarships, bursaries and sibling discounts can bring the cost down.
Government schools give free instruction, and can still ask families to pay for some items and to make voluntary contributions.
Where a school’s website lists its charges, Compare shows them side by side. We don’t add them up, because schools list them in different ways. Ask each school for its full list.
See the costs each school listsSources: Department of Education, Victoria; NSW Government. Last checked: 19 October 2026.
We’ll explain the labels, how entry works and what’s different here, without assuming you already know the system.
Start with the basicsYour visa can affect government-school fees and enrolment arrangements, and the rules differ by state. We can help you navigate through this, and the state’s education department or the school can confirm what applies before you enrol.
Whether your learner can enrol and whether tuition applies are two separate questions. In NSW, for example, most temporary residents pay tuition at government schools, and most can’t enrol in selective schools.
A free plan asks about your visa and lists the enrolment documents that fit it.
Set up a free planSource: each state’s education department. Last checked: 19 October 2026.
An example of what EduTrail shows a family. Ava is an illustration, not a real learner.
Ava
Victoria · Year 5 · Planning for secondary school · Interested in maths, music and languages
NOW
Ava has a designated neighbourhood government secondary school.
WORTH KNOWING
The schools Ava’s family is considering differ in programs, support, subject choice and environment.
WORTH EXPLORING
Ava may find these in ordinary schools as well as in selective or special programs.
KEEP OPEN
One school on Ava’s list takes applications earlier, so keeping it open may mean acting before the final decision.
LATER
EduTrail brings subject and pathway differences forward before they become decisions.
Use what matters to your family to find real schools near you, from all three sectors.
No account needed to look around.