High quality education, excellent results

You’ll be spoilt for study options in the education capital.

Canberra’s population is the best educated in Australia. School students benefit from easy access to major national institutions and, being the bush capital, great outdoor education options.

It starts early with numerous, quality early childhood education and care providers ready to nurture your baby or young child. From there, your child can move to free public preschool or independent and Catholic early learning centres as they get ready to transition to school.

We have a robust and well-regarded system of government, independent and Catholic schools.

Canberra enables children to travel to their local school safely by walking, cycling or by public transport.

Primary and secondary schools

Primary schools are typically for children aged around 5 to 12, in Kindergarten through to Year 6. High school (or secondary school) students are in Years 7 to 10. There are also schools that offer education for pre-schoolers through to Year 10 and in some cases, Year 12, as well as our Early Childhood Schools which cater for children from birth to eight years old (Year 2).

Colleges

ACT Government colleges cater for students in Years 11 and 12 offering a range of courses accredited and registered with the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies. The colleges offer an adult learning style that builds responsibility and independence while using a continual assessment model that prepares students well for further study or work.

Specialist schools

There are four specialist schools for students with disabilities and high support needs located across the ACT. These are: 

• Cranleigh School
• Malkara School
• Black Mountain School
• The Woden School

A place at your local public school

Your local public school has a place for your child to learn, develop and reach their potential. All public schools have dedicated Priority Enrolment Areas (PEA) and every child from Kindergarten to Year 12 is guaranteed a place at their local public school. You can look up the PEA here. Enrolment at a public school outside of your area is possible if space is available at that school.

Tertiary education

With numerous universities teaching hundreds of programs and thousands of courses, as well as a technical institute, there’s a program to suit all students. Our five universities rank in the world’s top 100. They are:

• Australian National University
• University of Canberra
• University of New South Wales
• Australian Catholic University
• Charles Sturt University

The Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) is Canberra’s public TAFE. It offers vocational courses and educates 20,000 students each year.