NSW students enrolling in ACT public schools

If you live close to the ACT, in nearby NSW, you may be able to enrol your child in an ACT public school.

Children who live in nearby NSW can get a schooling pathway through the ACT public school system, from preschool to year 12.

Only some ACT public schools are included in this pathway system. These are called NSW pathway schools.

If you live in nearby NSW, your child is guaranteed a place at a NSW pathway school.

Check if you can apply

Check if your postcode is on the list for the northside or southside pathway zone.

Your zone will determine the pathways you have available to you.

You can apply to any NSW pathway school, but we only guarantee a place at a pathway school in your zone.

Find your location and zone

Choose your pathway

You can choose any schooling pathway for your child. If you live in the:

• northside zone, we guarantee a place at a school in the northside school zone.
• southside zone, we guarantee a place at a school in the southside school zone.

If you live in one of these zones, you can apply to a NSW pathway school that's in the other zone. Be aware that we prioritise students who live in the zone assigned to a school, so you may not get offered a place. If this happens, we will offer you a place at a school within your zone.

Preschool

We try to place your child in a preschool attached to your NSW pathway school.

Preschools are in high demand. If we cannot offer your first choice, we will offer you the nearest public preschool with a place available.

Specialist schools

Specialist preschools and schools are for children who have been diagnosed with:

• an intellectual disability that is moderate, severe or profound
• Global Developmental Delay (GDD) with significant impact on adaptive functioning.

Check if your child meets the requirements and find out how to apply to enrol in specialist preschool or specialist schools.

How to apply

Apply to enrol using the online form on enrol in a public school.

Applying to other ACT public schools

In special cases, you may be able to apply to an ACT public school that is not a NSW pathway school (out of area application).

This is if your child:

• has a particular reason to attend another school, based on wellbeing concerns
• has a sibling attending the school, who will attend in the same year as the child you're enrolling (only Category B schools, if places are available).

For an out of area application to a non-NSW pathway school, you must:

• apply to enrol using the online form on enrol in a public school.
• The enrolment form will ask you to choose one criterion only when applying to an out of area school. In some cases, we may ask you for more information to help us better understand your child's needs.

If you would like to provide any documentation in support of your application, you can upload it when you complete the enrolment application.  Alternately, email it to education.enrolment@act.gov.au with your application reference number in the subject line.

The principal will make a decision guided by these points. They will also consider any evidence you provide as part of your application.

Application based on wellbeing

If you are applying for a non-NSW pathway school based on wellbeing concerns, your preferred school considers:

• why it is not in the best interests of your child to attend the NSW pathway school
• what compelling reasons there are for attending the preferred non-NSW pathway school.

If your child's needs can be met at a NSW pathway school, we will decline your request.

When you get your Letter of Offer, if you applied under the wellbeing criteria – and want us to reconsider that enrolment decision – you can request an appeal of an enrolment decision.
Enrolment decisions for applications submitted under the NSW resident sibling criteria are based on capacity and cannot be appealed. You can submit a new application under a different criterion.

Contact us

If you need help at any stage, contact the school directly or contact us.