Education in South Australia facts for kids

The old School of Mines building, part of the UniSA East campus

Education in South Australia is mostly managed by the South Australian Government. This means the government helps decide how schools and learning places are run across the state.

Learning Before School: Early Childhood Education

Before children start primary school, many go to child care or kindergarten. Kindergarten is also called pre-school. Kids usually attend these programs between the ages of three and five. It helps them get ready for school.

School Education: Primary and High School

Schooling in South Australia has two main parts: primary school and high school.

Primary School

Primary school usually starts with Reception (the first year) and goes up to Grade 6 or 7. Children are typically aged 5 to 12 years old in primary school.

High School (Secondary School)

After primary school, students go to high school. This covers ages from about 12 or 13 up to 18. In high school, students can work towards their South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE). This is a special certificate they get when they finish high school. Some private schools also offer the International Baccalaureate program.

Public and Private Schools

Schools in South Australia are either:

• Public schools: These are run by the government and are free to attend.
• Private schools: These are run by private groups. Many are connected to churches. While they get some money from the government, parents usually pay fees for their children to attend.

Compulsory Schooling

In South Australia, it is required for children to be enrolled in school by their sixth birthday. Also, everyone under the age of 17 must be learning or working. This means they need to be in school, training, or working for at least 25 hours each week. Parents are responsible for making sure their children aged 6 to 16 attend school regularly.

Learning After School: Tertiary Education

After high school, many students choose to continue their education. This is called tertiary education. It is mainly provided by universities and TAFE SA.

Public Universities

South Australia has three main public universities:

• The University of Adelaide
• Flinders University
• The University of South Australia (UniSA)

These universities have campuses in and around Adelaide. They also have campuses in regional areas of South Australia. Some even have teaching partnerships in other states or overseas.

• Adelaide Campuses:
  • Flinders University has campuses at Bedford Park and Victoria Square.
  • The University of Adelaide has campuses like The Waite at Urrbrae and Research Park at Thebarton. It also uses the National Wine Centre.
  • UniSA has campuses at Magill and Mawson Lakes.

• Regional Campuses:
  • Flinders University has rural clinical schools in places like Mount Gambier and Renmark. It also has a Marine Science Centre at Port Lincoln.
  • The University of Adelaide has its Roseworthy Campus near Roseworthy.
  • UniSA has campuses in Mount Gambier and Whyalla.

Private Universities

Adelaide also has private universities. For example, Carnegie Mellon University from the United States has campuses in Adelaide. These include Heinz College Australia and ETC-Australia. Heinz College was the first American university to open a campus in Australia in 2006.