MADE FOR FAMILIES IN AUSTRALIA
Homeschooling in Australia, planned for you
Tell Kuraplan your children's ages and what Australia expects. It writes lessons, worksheets and the records you need, in the language of the Australian Curriculum.
Homeschooling in Australia: the rules, the registration and a plan that works
Homeschooling is legal in every Australian state and territory, and growing fast, but there is no national system. Each state runs its own registration: you apply to the state regulator (the VRQA in Victoria, NESA in New South Wales, the Home Education Unit in Queensland, and so on), submit a learning plan, and renew each year. The Australian Curriculum is the common reference, though the states differ in how closely you must follow it.
This page is the national overview: what every state has in common, the main differences, how the Australian Curriculum fits, and the distance education alternative. Then choose your state guide below for the exact process, forms and deadlines.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Informational, not legal advice. Verify with Home Education Association (national) before acting.
Step by step
How to start homeschooling in Australia
- 1
Find your state regulator
Victoria: VRQA. NSW: NESA. Queensland: Home Education Unit. WA: Department of Education (through your local school). SA: Department for Education Home Education Unit. Tasmania: Office of the Education Registrar. ACT: Education Directorate. NT: Department of Education.
- 2
Apply for registration before you start
Every state requires registration (or in WA, an application via the local school) before or shortly after you begin. Most require a learning plan showing how you will cover the key learning areas, and most give provisional registration while they assess.
- 3
Teach, keep records, and renew
Annual renewal is standard, with a summary or a review (a visit, a meeting or a document) in most states. Records of work, a learning journal and samples are what reviewers look at.
- 4
Plan the senior years
Home-educated students can access the state senior certificate through distance education, TAFE, or by enrolling in a school for Year 11–12; many go to university via alternative entry, STAT tests or a bridging course.
Australia requirements at a glance
Legal basis: Education is a state and territory responsibility; each has its own registration scheme under its education act.
- Registration
- Required in every state and territory. Victoria, NSW, QLD, SA, TAS, ACT and NT register with the state authority; WA applies through the local school and is assessed by a moderator.
- Curriculum
- Most states require you to address the Australian Curriculum learning areas (English, maths, science, HASS, the arts, technologies, health and PE, languages) in your own way; NSW requires the NSW syllabuses.
- Hours
- No state sets daily hours; regularity and coverage are what is assessed.
- Assessment
- No standardised testing is required; NAPLAN is optional. Annual review or reporting is required in most states.
- Records
- Expected everywhere: a plan, a record of work, samples. This is what renewal is based on.
Dates to put on your calendar
- Registration before starting (or within the grace period your state allows).
- Annual renewal dates vary by state; Victoria renews by 30 November, NSW by the registration expiry date.
Curriculum
The Australian Curriculum (ACARA) v9 sets learning areas and achievement standards by year level. States require you to address it (VIC, QLD, SA, TAS, ACT, NT, WA) or their own syllabuses based on it (NSW).
Assessment
No compulsory tests. Annual renewal with a report, review or visit depending on state. NAPLAN is available but optional.
Funding
No direct funding for homeschoolers. Family Tax Benefit continues; some states offer minor concessions. Distance education through a government school is free or low-cost.
Plan it with Kuraplan
Turn the rules into a week that works
Kuraplan knows the Australian Curriculum. Tell it your children's ages and it builds lessons, worksheets and the plan or report your Home Education Association (national) paperwork asks for.
Plans in Australian Curriculum terms
Learning plans, program summaries and progress reports written in the vocabulary your regulator expects, ready to edit and submit.
Lessons for every child at once
One family topic, output at each child's level: a drawing task, a paragraph, an essay. Printables included.
Records without the scramble
Keep completed work together so the annual review, report or portfolio is a summary, not a reconstruction.
One lesson. All your kids.
$49/yr flat, no per-child fees
Write one family lesson, then adjust the reading level, the practice and the response format for each child without rebuilding the day.
Australia homeschooling FAQ
Is homeschooling legal in Australia?
Yes, in every state and territory, subject to registering with the state or territory education authority. Each jurisdiction has its own process, plan requirements and review cycle.
Do I have to follow the Australian Curriculum?
Most states require you to address its learning areas in a way that suits your child, not to follow it lesson by lesson. NSW requires its own syllabuses, which are based on it. Several states accept alternative approaches (Montessori, Steiner, unschooling) if the plan shows learning across the areas.
What is the difference between homeschooling and distance education in Australia?
Homeschooling: the parent plans and delivers the program under state registration. Distance education: the child is enrolled in a school (often a government distance-education school) that sets and marks the work, and the parent supervises. Distance education needs no home education registration and leads directly to the senior certificate.
Do homeschoolers get funding in Australia?
Not directly. There is no allowance; Family Tax Benefit continues as normal. Distance education through a government school is free or low-cost. Check your state guide for small concessions.
Can homeschooled students get an ATAR?
Not through home education registration alone. Options are enrolling in distance education or a school for Years 11–12, TAFE pathways, the STAT test, or university bridging and alternative entry programs, which many home-educated students use successfully.
Informational, not legal advice. Rules and forms change; verify with Home Education Association (national) before acting. Reviewed 2026-09-07.
Homeschool guides for other countries
Your Australia homeschooling year, in one place
Plan lessons, make printables, and keep each child's completed work organised for the records you need to keep.
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