Editing Education in Australia (section)

=== Compulsory attendance requirements ===
School education in Australia is compulsory between certain ages as specified by state or territory legislation. Depending on the state or territory, and date of birth of the child, school is compulsory from the age of five to six to the age of fifteen to seventeen.<ref name="ied" />

In the ACT,<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/act/consol_act/ea2004104/s10.html|title=EDUCATION ACT 2004 – SECT 10 Child of compulsory education age—enrolment and registration|website=austlii.edu.au|access-date=19 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131190501/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/act/consol_act/ea2004104/s10.html|archive-date=31 January 2017}}</ref> NSW,<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/ea1990104/s21b.html|title=EDUCATION ACT 1990 – SECT 21B Compulsory school-age|website=austlii.edu.au|access-date=19 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114053718/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/ea1990104/s21b.html|archive-date=14 January 2017}}</ref> the Northern Territory,<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nt/consol_act/ea104/s38.html|title=EDUCATION ACT – SECT 38 Compulsory school age|website=austlii.edu.au|access-date=19 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131185845/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nt/consol_act/ea104/s38.html|archive-date=31 January 2017}}</ref> Queensland,<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/consol_act/epa2006305/s176.html|title=EDUCATION (GENERAL PROVISIONS) ACT 2006 – SECT 176 176 Obligation of each parent|website=austlii.edu.au|access-date=19 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131190449/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/consol_act/epa2006305/s176.html|archive-date=31 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/consol_act/epa2006305/s9.html|title=EDUCATION (GENERAL PROVISIONS) ACT 2006 – SECT 9 9 Meaning of compulsory school age|website=austlii.edu.au|access-date=19 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131190818/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/consol_act/epa2006305/s9.html|archive-date=31 January 2017}}</ref> South Australia,<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/consol_act/ea1972104/s5.html#child_of_compulsory_school_age|title=EDUCATION ACT 1972 – SECT 5|website=austlii.edu.au|access-date=19 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131185834/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/consol_act/ea1972104/s5.html#child_of_compulsory_school_age|archive-date=31 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/consol_act/ea1972104/s75.html|title=EDUCATION ACT 1972 – SECT 75|website=austlii.edu.au|access-date=19 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131190808/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/consol_act/ea1972104/s75.html|archive-date=31 January 2017}}</ref> Victoria,<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/eatra2006273/s2.1.1.html|title=EDUCATION AND TRAINING REFORM ACT 2006 – SECT 2.1.1 Attendance at school|website=austlii.edu.au|access-date=19 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408182359/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/eatra2006273/s2.1.1.html|archive-date=8 April 2016}}</ref> and Western Australia,<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/wa/consol_act/sea1999170/s9.html|title=SCHOOL EDUCATION ACT 1999 – SECT 9|website=austlii.edu.au|access-date=19 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131190527/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/wa/consol_act/sea1999170/s9.html|archive-date=31 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/wa/consol_act/sea1999170/s6.html|title=SCHOOL EDUCATION ACT 1999 – SECT 6|website=austlii.edu.au|access-date=19 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110075754/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/wa/consol_act/sea1999170/s6.html|archive-date=10 January 2017}}</ref> children are legally required to attend school from the age of six years old, until the minimum leaving age. In Tasmania, the compulsory school starting age is 5 years old.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/tas/consol_act/ea1994104/s4.html|title=EDUCATION ACT 1994 – SECT 4 4. Enrolment|website=austlii.edu.au|access-date=19 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131190516/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/tas/consol_act/ea1994104/s4.html|archive-date=31 January 2017}}</ref> However, most children commence the preliminary year of formal schooling, in [[Kindergarten|Pre-Year 1]], between four and a half and five and a half years of age,<ref name="absyear2012"/> variously called kindergarten (sometimes called Year K),<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.education.act.gov.au/public-school-life/enrolling-in-a-public-school/enrolling-in-kindergarten-to-year-12|title=Enrolling in Kindergarten To Year 12|work=Education Directorate|publisher=Government of the Australian Capital Territory|date=n.d.|access-date=18 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/going-to-a-public-school/primary-schools/starting-school|title=Starting school|work=[[Department of Education (New South Wales)|NSW Department of Education]]|publisher=Government of New South Wales|date=14 August 2019|access-date=18 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=https://www.education.wa.edu.au/enrolling-in-school|title=Enrolling in school|work=[[Department of Education (Western Australia)|WA Department of Education]]|publisher=Government of Western Australia|date=n.d.|access-date=18 August 2019}}</ref> reception,<ref>{{cite web|date=27 Jan 2021|title=Starting preschool or school|url=https://www.education.sa.gov.au/parents-and-families/enrol-school-or-preschool/school-enrolment/starting-preschool-or-school|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207014622/https://www.education.sa.gov.au/parents-and-families/enrol-school-or-preschool/school-enrolment/starting-preschool-or-school|archive-date=7 February 2021|access-date=7 February 2021|work=SA Department of Education|publisher=[[Government of South Australia]]}}</ref> preparation (also abbreviated as "prep"),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.qld.gov.au/education/schools/find/enrolment/age|title=Enrolment age requirements|work=[[Department of Education (Queensland)|QLD Department of Education]]|publisher=Queensland Government|date=26 September 2017|access-date=18 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Jarvis, Caitlin|url=https://www.examiner.com.au/story/4745082/how-does-tasmanias-school-starting-age-compare/|title=School starting age changes in Tasmania versus Australia|work=The Examiner|location=Tasmania|date=21 June 2017|access-date=18 August 2019}}</ref><ref name="VIC types"/> transition,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nt.gov.au/learning/primary-and-secondary-students/stages-of-schooling|title=Stages of schooling|work=Education and learning|publisher=[[Northern Territory Government]] of Australia|date=4 February 2019|access-date=18 August 2019}}</ref> or foundation.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2024-03-18|title=Enrolling in Foundation (Prep)|url=https://www.vic.gov.au/enrolling-foundation-prep|access-date=2024-11-05|website=vic.gov.au|language=en-AU}}</ref>

{{As of|2024}}, the national year 10 to year 12 apparent retention rate (ARR), a measure of student engagement that provides an indicator of the success of education systems in keeping students in school beyond the minimum leaving age, was 79.9 per cent for all full-time students in [[Year Twelve|Year 12]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2025-02-17|title=Schools, 2024 {{!}} Australian Bureau of Statistics|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/education/schools/latest-release#retention-rates|access-date=2025-02-18|website=abs.gov.au|language=en}}</ref>