Choosing a school for your child in Australia: the questions to ask

Choosing a school for your child is one of the most important decisions a family makes after settling in Australia, yet it is also a decision many parents are unsure how to begin. This guide does not tell you which school is best, because there is no single answer. Instead, it focuses on the right questions to ask so you can find the answer that suits your own family.

Location and travel

The first, and most practical, question is: how will your child get to school?

In Australia, many families travel by car, by school bus, or on foot. The distance from home to school directly affects the whole family’s daily life: what time you wake up, who does the drop-off and pick-up, the cost of petrol or bus fares, and how much energy your child has left after a day at school.

If you have not yet decided where to live, think about the school before you sign a rental lease. Government schools give priority to students in the catchment area (the geographic zone around the school), so your home address determines which government school your child is entitled to enrol in.

Questions to ask:

• How will your child travel to school, and how long will it take?
• If you prefer a government school, which addresses fall within that school’s catchment area?
• If you prefer a private school, does it offer transport, or will you need to arrange your own?

School type: government, Catholic or independent?

The Australian education system has three main types of school: government schools, Catholic schools, and independent schools. Each has different features when it comes to how they are run, what they cost, and their school culture.

For more detail, see the related guide on how government, Catholic and independent schools differ.

Questions to ask:

• What matters most to your family: keeping costs down, a religious focus, or a particular academic environment?
• If you choose a private school, do the total annual costs (fees, uniforms and activities) fit your budget?
• Has your child studied in a religious environment before, and do you want to continue that?

English and multicultural support

If your child is not yet fluent in English when they arrive in Australia, which is very common, the quality and availability of the school’s English support program is an important factor.

Most government schools run an EAL/D program (English as an Additional Language or Dialect) that supports students learning English alongside the main curriculum. Some schools have more experience with newly arrived students than others, and it is entirely reasonable to ask the school directly about this.

Questions to ask:

• Does the school offer an EAL/D program? Are students supported in class or withdrawn for separate lessons?
• Are there any teachers or staff who speak Vietnamese (not essential, but helpful in the early stages)?
• What proportion of students at the school come from multicultural backgrounds?

School size and culture

A school’s size shapes your child’s experience: smaller schools often feel closer and more personal, while larger schools may offer more extracurricular programs and a wider range of opportunities.

School culture, which includes how the school handles bullying, how it encourages parent involvement, and how it treats students, is hard to judge from a website but easy to sense when you visit in person.

Questions to ask:

• Does the school run a school tour or open day for parents?
• What is the school’s anti-bullying policy and how does it handle incidents?
• Can parents take part in school activities, and in what ways?

Academic results: how to read them properly

Many parents look up NAPLAN results (the National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy) on the myschool.edu.au website when choosing a school. This is useful data, but it needs to be read in context:

• NAPLAN results reflect many factors, including the socio-economic profile of the area.
• A school with average NAPLAN results in a lower-income area may be doing very well by its students.
• A student’s progress over time is often more meaningful than a single absolute score at one point in time.

NAPLAN results should be one of many factors, not the only one.

Extracurricular programs and your child’s interests

Children settle in better when they have something to connect over with friends outside the classroom, such as sport, music, art or clubs. If your child has a particular interest (for example swimming, soccer or piano), check whether the school has a suitable program or facilities.

Questions to ask:

• Does the school have a club or sports team in an area your child is interested in?
• Where will your child need to travel for extracurricular activities, and does the school provide transport or do you need to arrange it yourself?

Visit the school before you decide

Nothing replaces visiting a school and seeing it for yourself. Most schools in Australia run a school tour or open day for parents before enrolment. Contact the school office to ask about dates.

When you visit, pay attention to:

• Do the teachers and staff greet you in a friendly way?
• How do the students seem — actively engaged, or quiet and passive?
• Are the facilities clean, safe and well maintained?

The instinct you have after visiting a school is often more accurate than any ranking table.

Next steps

Once you have chosen a school, see the related guide on enrolling your child in school in Australia.

To understand the difference between the three types of school, see the guide on government, Catholic and independent schools.

If your child is not yet confident in English, see the guide on helping a child with limited English in the early stages.