Sydney or Melbourne? How School Works Differently for Relocating Families
Sydney and Melbourne are Australia’s two largest cities, a short flight apart, and for school purposes they sit in two different systems. New South Wales and Victoria each run their own schools, set their own starting ages and charge families on temporary visas differently. This post sets the two side by side for families who are choosing between the cities, or moving from one to the other.
Most families arrive with the city already decided
Bennett’s Australia consultant May O’Kane, who is based in Melbourne and has also lived in Sydney and Brisbane, finds that most of the families she works with have already been told their destination by the time they call. The differences below are still worth knowing, because they shape the budget, the timing and the school search in each city, and because many families move between Australian states later on.
The common ground is large. Both cities have three school sectors (government, Catholic and independent), both school years start in late January or early February, and both lead to the same national university entry rank, the ATAR.
Fees for families on temporary visas
This is the biggest difference. In New South Wales, children of most temporary visa holders, including the 482 skilled visa, pay an annual tuition fee to attend a government school: A$6,400 from Kindergarten to Year 10 and A$7,600 in Years 11 and 12 in 2026, a little more in 2027. Victoria’s Department of Education lists the 482 visa as exempt from tuition fees at its government schools.
In both states, families still pay for uniforms, excursions, camps and optional activities, and Victorian schools may ask for voluntary contributions. May’s view is that the fee is a factor but rarely the deciding one: whether a particular school fits the child, its pastoral care, the peer group and the chance of a place matter more. The Sydney details are in Enrolling in a Sydney Public School on a 482 Visa.
Enrollment follows your address in both cities
In Sydney, every child is entitled to a place at the government school for their home’s intake area. In Melbourne, every student has a designated neighborhood school based on their permanent address, and students living in a school’s zone must be offered a place there. Victoria publishes its zones on Find My School. Either way, a family choosing a public school needs a home first, so the school and the housing decisions are made together.
Starting school, and what the first year is called
- Sydney: the first year of primary school is called Kindergarten. A child can start if they turn five on or before 31 July of that year.
- Melbourne: the first year of primary school is called Prep. A child can start if they turn five by 30 April of that year.
- Both: school is compulsory from age six.
The words for the years before school are reversed too. In Sydney that is preschool; in Melbourne it is kindergarten, or kinder, and Victoria’s Free Kinder program covers three- and four-year-old kinder at participating services. A family moving with a four-year-old will find the same child is in “kinder” in one city and “preschool” in the other. Our post on starting school in Sydney explains the NSW side in detail.
The final years: HSC, VCE and the IB
Students in New South Wales finish school with the Higher School Certificate (HSC); students in Victoria with the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). Both lead to an ATAR. In both cities, a group of mostly independent schools offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma instead, and families who expect to move again often look for one. Our post on choosing between the HSC and the IB Diploma applies equally to the VCE.
Selective government schools
Both states run academically selective government high schools. New South Wales has many more of them, with entry at Year 7, while Victoria has four selective entry high schools that take students from Year 9. Eligibility depends on residency and visa conditions in each state, so check the current rules before counting on one.
The calendar
Both school years run in four terms with breaks of about two weeks and a summer holiday from mid-December. Victoria’s government schools usually start a few days earlier: for 2027, students return in Victoria on 28 January and in New South Wales on 3 February. Victoria publishes its dates on its term dates page.
Independent schools in both cities
In both cities, the best-known independent schools keep long waiting lists, and families arriving mid-year often find more space in the early primary years than later. May’s advice on applying is in Sydney Private School Waiting Lists, and most of it holds in Melbourne too.
How a Bennett consultant helps
A Bennett consultant explains how fees, starting ages, enrollment and final qualifications work in the city you are moving to, recommend schools that fit your child, and, if your family may move between states later, plan with that in mind.
Our Sydney education consultants also support families headed to Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra, and May’s answers on moving to Sydney with kids are a good place to start.
Get in touch with a consultant who knows schools in Sydney and Melbourne, for an hour of clarity →
Bennett International Education Consultancy works directly with hundreds of families each year across the globe. We support families by helping them make informed decisions about the best-fit schools for their children; with our guidance, they secure placement in preschools, private day schools, public/state schools, boarding schools, colleges and universities, including schools with particular programs, such as special needs support.
