Homeschooling and Distance Education in Australia: The Rules by State
Written by
BestSchools Team
Homeschooling means a parent or carer takes responsibility for a child's education, instead of the child attending a school. Distance education means a school teaches the child, usually because the child cannot attend in person.
Those are different legal paths. As of 20 October 2026, every state and territory requires registration or approval during the compulsory years. You do not always have to wait for the decision before you start. The ACT Education page, opens in a new tab says you can start home education once a complete application is submitted. The decision is due within 28 days. The Queensland Home Education Unit registration page, opens in a new tab says provisional registration begins when the application is lodged, and you can start while that application is being decided. If you are moving, read moving schools between states as well, because a registration does not travel with you.
What is homeschooling in Australia, and how is it different from distance education?
Homeschooling, home education and home schooling are the names departments use. The parent plans, teaches and keeps evidence of learning. The state or territory registers or approves that arrangement.
Distance education is still school. NSW's distance education page, opens in a new tab says the school and the teacher develop, teach and assess the program. Home schooling is the parent doing that work. The page says the two are not the same.
A child cannot usually be registered for home education and enrolled in a school at the same time. Queensland says that directly. New South Wales and the Northern Territory say the child stays enrolled until approval is granted. The ACT and Queensland do not make families wait for that decision. The table below sets out the difference.
Registration rules by state and territory
As of 20 October 2026. Compulsory ages differ. The school starting age guide covers when school itself becomes compulsory.
| State or territory | Who you apply to | What the official page requires |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales, opens in a new tab | NSW Department of Education | The child must be registered and must live in NSW. Apply through the Home Schooling Platform, or by a downloaded form. All applications are assessed with a home visit. The department says the process can take up to 12 weeks. Without a current certificate, a compulsory-age child must be enrolled in and attend a school. |
| Victoria, opens in a new tab | Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) | Children from 6 to 17 must be at school or home schooled. You register, submit a learning plan, and be approved. The plan covers the first year and eight learning areas: English, mathematics, sciences, humanities and social sciences, the arts, languages, health and physical education, and information and communication technology and design and technology. The VRQA may review learning, and will write first. |
| Queensland, opens in a new tab | Home Education Unit, Department of Education | The child must be at least 5 years and 6 months, and under 18, on 31 December of the year registration starts. Apply with the approved form and a program summary. The registration page, opens in a new tab says copies of the supporting documents do not need to be certified. Provisional registration follows once the application is received, and you can start while the decision is pending. You report progress each year. The child should stay enrolled until the application is submitted. A child cannot be registered and enrolled at once. |
| Western Australia, opens in a new tab | Your education regional office | If the child is leaving a WA school, register within 14 days. For the start of a school year, register by the last Friday in February. You need identity, residence in WA, and guardianship evidence if you are not the parent. A moderator is assigned after registration. |
| South Australia, opens in a new tab | Department for Education | You can apply during the compulsory years, from 6 to 17. You provide a program that meets the goals of the Australian Curriculum or similar, resources, a suitable learning environment, and chances for social interaction. Start with the department's request form. |
| Tasmania, opens in a new tab | Office of the Education Registrar | A child who is at least five on 1 January must be enrolled at school or provided with home education by a registered home educator. You submit an application and a Home Education Program for each child. After the equivalent of Year 10, you tell the Registrar whether the child will stay in home education or start an approved learning program. |
| Australian Capital Territory, opens in a new tab | ACT Education Directorate | The child must be 6 to 17 and usually live in the ACT, and you must have parental responsibility. You need certified identity and ACT residence documents. You can start once a complete application is submitted. A decision is due within 28 days. Part-time home education alongside school is possible if the principal agrees. Registration lasts up to two years. You report once a year and apply to renew at least three months before it ends. |
| Northern Territory, opens in a new tab | Department of Education and Training | The program must be approved. Until it is, the child stays enrolled and attending. Approval lasts one school year, so you reapply each year. To continue in 2027, the department says reapply by Friday 27 November 2026 if you want assessment before school starts on 27 January 2027. Home education students do not receive the NT Certificate of Education and Training. |
Distance education, where the official pages were checked
NSW provides distance education for students who are geographically isolated or whose circumstances keep them out of school regularly. The department says there are 11 distance education schools, including a school for specific purposes and a specialist language high school. Full-time enrolment has set categories, such as isolation, travel, medical needs and some other circumstances.
Single-course access in Stages 5 and 6 is arranged between the child's current school and the distance education school, not by the parent alone. The page lists 2027 single-course opening times by school, mostly in Term 3. Aurora College is one of those schools.
Victoria's Virtual School Victoria, opens in a new tab teaches students whose circumstances prevent mainstream schooling. Its published direct-enrolment categories are medical (physical or mental health), travel, elite sport or performance, distance, previous home schooler, and young adult.
A student who stays at their own school can study extra subjects through Students in Other Schools, opens in a new tab. Years 7 to 10 can take one subject each semester. Years 11 and 12 can take two subjects each semester.
Queensland's schools of distance education, opens in a new tab teach students who cannot attend a state school. The page also says home-based learners who choose not to attend a local school may attend a school of distance education for an annual fee. It does not publish the fee amount. The named schools include Brisbane, Cairns, Capricornia, Charleville, Charters Towers, Longreach, and Mount Isa School of the Air. Eligibility and fees are on the department's distance education pages.
Official distance education pages for Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory were not checked line by line for this guide. Use the state or territory education site rather than assuming the NSW or Victorian categories apply.
If school is still the plan
See schools you could enrol in
Home education and distance education are specific legal paths. The directory is for families comparing schools.
Registration rules stay with the state or territory authority.
Senior certificates are not automatic in every home education setting. The Northern Territory says home education students do not receive the NT Certificate of Education and Training. Other states set their own certificate rules. Senior certificates is the overview, and the authority is the place to confirm a pathway.
Official sources
- NSW Government, Home schooling, opens in a new tab
- NSW Government, Submitting an application, opens in a new tab
- NSW Department of Education, Distance education, opens in a new tab
- Victoria, Home school your child, opens in a new tab
- Virtual School Victoria, opens in a new tab
- Virtual School Victoria, Students in Other Schools, opens in a new tab
- Queensland, Home education, opens in a new tab
- Queensland Home Education Unit, Registering for home education, opens in a new tab
- Queensland, Rural and remote education, opens in a new tab
- WA Department of Education, Register for home education, opens in a new tab
- SA.GOV.AU, Home education, opens in a new tab
- Tasmania, Office of the Education Registrar, opens in a new tab
- ACT Education, Home education (home schooling), opens in a new tab
- Northern Territory, Home education, opens in a new tab
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