Editing Education in Australia (section)

== School years ==
=== Primary schools ===
{{See also|Primary school}}
[[File:Saint Patrick's Primary school.jpg|thumb|St Patricks Primary in Murrumbeena is one of many Catholic primary schools in Australia]]

Also sometimes called infants schools, Australia adopts the [[UNESCO]] term of [[primary school#Australia|primary school]]<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/primary-school|title=Primary school|encyclopaedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|date=n.d.|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|location=Chicago, IL|access-date=23 August 2019}}</ref> that generally covers a child's education from pre–[[Year One (education)|Year 1]] and finishes with [[Year Six|Year 6]]. The duration of primary school years varies across each Australian state and territory, with most adopting seven years- except in South Australia, where, until 2022,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2 Feb 2021|title=Year 7 to high school information for parents|url=https://www.education.sa.gov.au/parents-and-families/year-7-high-school/year-7-high-school-information-parents|website=Department for Education South Australia|archive-date=7 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207014954/https://www.education.sa.gov.au/parents-and-families/year-7-high-school/year-7-high-school-information-parents|url-status=dead}}</ref> students finished with [[Year Seven|Year 7]], making the duration of primary school eight years-<ref name="MySchoolsDefinitions">{{cite web|date=n.d.|title=Glossary|url=https://eskilledrtosoftware.com.au/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328061929/https://myschool.edu.au/glossary/|archive-date=28 March 2019|access-date=18 August 2019|work=My Schools|publisher=[[Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority]]}}</ref>{{rp|[see "Primary"]}} until they are 11, 12 or 13 years of age. Primary schools focus on developing essential literacy, numeracy and social skills, and provide foundational knowledge to children about the world around them.<ref name="DFAT Foundation Level">{{cite web|url=https://dfat.gov.au/aid/topics/investment-priorities/education-health/education/Documents/australian-education-system-foundation.pdf|title=The Australian Education System: Foundation Level|work=Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Academy|publisher=Australian Government|date=2018|access-date=9 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619095910/http://dfat.gov.au/aid/topics/investment-priorities/education-health/education/Documents/australian-education-system-foundation.pdf|archive-date=19 June 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Secondary schools ===
{{See also|Secondary school#Australia}}
[[Secondary school#Australia|Secondary schools]] in Australia are also called high schools{{ref|b|[note b]}} and colleges (or junior, intermediate, or senior colleges). Secondary schools vary across each Australian state and territory, but they generally cover [[Year Seven|Year 7]] to [[Year Nine|Year 9]] (compulsory period of education) and senior secondary schools continue to [[Year Twelve|Year 12]].<ref>{{cite web|date=27 January 2023|url=https://www.studyaustralia.gov.au/english/study/education-system|title=Australian education system|access-date=27 January 2023|archive-date=27 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127092635/https://www.studyaustralia.gov.au/english/study/education-system|url-status=dead}}</ref> Progressively, as students move from primary into secondary schools, subject matter becomes increasingly specialised,<ref name="DFAT Foundation Level" /> offering opportunities to students that show preferences in [[STEM]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=School and Early Learning STEM initiatives|url=https://www.education.gov.au/australian-curriculum/support-science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics-stem/school-and-early-learning-stem-initiatives#toc-stem-professionals-in-schools|access-date=8 October 2024|website=education.gov.au}}</ref> or in Humanities and Social Sciences,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Support for Humanities and Social Sciences|url=https://www.education.gov.au/australian-curriculum/support-humanities-and-social-sciences|access-date=8 October 2024|website=education.gov.au}}</ref> among other interests.

=== Middle schools ===
{{See also|Middle school#Australia}}
In the majority of Australian states and territories, [[middle school]]s are relatively uncommon. Students progress from primary school to secondary school.<ref>{{cite web|date=8 December 2011|url=https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/shake-up-puts-year-7s-in-high-school-20111208-1oknc.html|title=Shake-up puts Year 7s in high school|work=WA Today|location=Western Australia}}</ref> As an alternative to the middle school model, some secondary schools divided their grades into "junior high school" (Years 7, 8 and 9) and "senior high school" (Years 10, 11 and 12). Some have three levels, "junior" (Years 7 and 8), "intermediate" (Years 9 and 10), and "senior" (Years 11 and 12).

In June 2006 the [[Northern Territory Government]] introduced a [[three-tier education|three-tier system]] featuring middle schools for Year 7 to Year 9 (approximate age 12–15) and high school for Year 10 to Year 12 (approximate age 15–18).<ref name="NT">{{cite web|url=http://www.middleyears.nt.gov.au/about/|title=About Middle Years|date=15 January 2008|access-date=1 February 2008|publisher=Northern Territory Government|work=NT Department of Employment, Education and Training|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080223120910/http://www.middleyears.nt.gov.au/about/|archive-date=2008-02-23}}</ref>

=== Combined and central schools ===
{{See also|Combined school|Central school}}
In Australia, [[combined school]]s, also known as K-12 schools,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2023-10-23|title=K-12 Schools|url=https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/efsg/design-components/k12-school-builds|access-date=2025-02-18|website=education.nsw.gov.au|language=en}}</ref> are schools that have classes from both primary and secondary year levels.<ref name="MySchoolsDefinitions"/>{{rp|[see "Combined school"]}} These schools may be located in an urban, regional or rural area and can be government or non-government schools. {{As of|2019}} there were approximately 500 Australian combined government schools<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.myschool.edu.au/school-search?FormPosted=True&SchoolSearchQuery=&SchoolSector=G&SchoolType=C&State=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604154712/https://www.myschool.edu.au/school-search?FormPosted=True&SchoolSearchQuery=&SchoolSector=G&SchoolType=C&State=|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 June 2024|title=Search: combined schools (filter government schools)|work=My Schools|publisher=[[Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority]]|date=n.d.|access-date=18 August 2019}}</ref>{{rp|[search "Combined school"]}} and approximately 850 Australian combined non-government schools.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.myschool.edu.au/school-search?FormPosted=True&SchoolSearchQuery=&SchoolSector=C%2CI&SchoolType=C&State=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240606121005/https://www.myschool.edu.au/school-search?FormPosted=True&SchoolSearchQuery=&SchoolSector=C%2CI&SchoolType=C&State=|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 June 2024|title=Search: combined schools (filter non-government schools)|work=My Schools|publisher=[[Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority]]|date=n.d.|access-date=18 August 2019}}</ref>{{rp|[search "Combined school"]}}

In Western Australia, the term ''district high school'' is used to describe a school that educates students from pre-prep to year 12.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Primary and secondary schools|url=https://www.education.wa.edu.au/primary-and-secondary-schools|access-date=2025-02-18|website=Department of Education|language=en-AU}}</ref>

In New South Wales, [[Central school]]s are predominantly, government schools located in a rural area that provides both primary and lower secondary education to students, usually concluding at [[Year Ten|Year 10]]. These provide secondary education to students from multiple primary schools, in rural areas with too low of a population to support a secondary school. As of 2024 there were 58 central schools.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Evaluation|first=Centre for Education Statistics and|date=2024-03-06|title=Glossary of school types|url=https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/history-of-nsw-government-schools/school-database-search/glossary#letterC|access-date=2025-02-18|website=education.nsw.gov.au|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.myschool.edu.au/school-search?FormPosted=True&SchoolSearchQuery=central+school&SchoolSector=&SchoolType=&State=&pagenumber=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240606054912/https://www.myschool.edu.au/school-search?FormPosted=True&SchoolSearchQuery=central+school&SchoolSector=&SchoolType=&State=&pagenumber=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 June 2024|title=Search: central schools|work=My Schools|publisher=[[Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority]]|date=n.d.|access-date=18 August 2019}}</ref>{{rp|[search "Central school"]}}