Sydney, Australia
International schools in Sydney: what families need to know
Sydney's school landscape is mostly Australian rather than international: government schools by catchment, plus a large Catholic and independent sector, with the IB offered at a limited number of schools. The biggest adjustment for arriving families is the calendar, which runs late January to mid-December. This guide covers enrolment, visa-linked fees, curricula, the four-term year, fees and where families settle.
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What you tell us
- Where you are moving
- Sydney
- Children
- Sofia (age 8) · Luca (age 5)
- Curriculum
- British preferred
- Start
- August
You tell us once, for every child. Your adviser assesses the brief and contacts relevant admissions teams on your behalf.
Example only. School names in these examples are fictional.
Sydney in short
- Curricula available in Sydney: NSW curriculum leading to the HSC, plus the IB Diploma at some independent schools.
- The Sydney school year runs Late January to mid-December, in four terms, with the main intake at the start of it.
- Schools are overseen by NSW Education Standards Authority; the NSW Department of Education runs government schools.
- Tuition is published per year group by each school. Registration, deposit, transport, uniform, meals and examination entries are normally billed separately.
- Availability is decided per child, per year group and per campus, so two children in one family can get two different answers from the same Sydney school.
- You tell us what your family needs once, and see matched Sydney schools with places, fees and next steps.
Prepared by InternationalSchools.orgPublished September 2026Last reviewed September 2026
Sydney at a glance
The facts that shape a Sydney school search
- Oversight
- NSW Education Standards Authority; the NSW Department of Education runs government schools
- Main curricula
- NSW curriculum leading to the HSC, plus the IB Diploma at some independent schools
- School year
- Late January to mid-December, in four terms
- Ages served
- Kindergarten from age 5 through Year 12 at about 17 or 18
- Language
- English; intensive English support is available for new arrivals
How admissions work in Sydney
Most Sydney schools follow the same stages, whatever the curriculum.
- 1
Enquire and check the year group
Confirm the year group each child would enter in Sydney. Age cut-offs differ between systems, so the same child can be placed a year apart in two schools.
- 2
Assessment
Most schools assess before offering a place. This can be a short online task, a classroom visit or a subject test, depending on age.
- 3
Offer, deposit and registration
An offer is usually held only after a registration fee or deposit is paid. Check whether either is refundable before you accept.
Documents to prepare
Some documents can take time to arrange from abroad. Start collecting them before you have chosen a school.
- Passport and, where required, visa or residence documents for each child
- Birth certificate
- School reports for the last two years
- Transfer or leaving certificate from the previous school
- Vaccination and health records
- Any learning support or assessment reports, shared early rather than late
More detail: how international-school admissions work.
Curricula families meet in Sydney
We explain each system once, in the curricula library, rather than repeating it city by city.
British curriculum
IGCSE and A Level, and how English year groups are set by age.
International Baccalaureate
PYP, MYP and the Diploma, and who the IB suits on a later move.
American curriculum
US grades, high-school credits and AP, with their own placement rules.
Changing curriculum mid-move
What transfers cleanly between systems and where a child may repeat or skip a year.
The Sydney school year and when to apply
Timing decides how much choice you have. These are the stages most families move through.
Six to nine months ahead
Start looking for the main intake
Popular year groups in Sydney fill first, and assessment slots become scarce close to the intake.
Three to six months ahead
Assessments and offers
Schools assess, then make offers within days or weeks. Registration fees and deposits usually follow immediately.
One to three months ahead
Places confirmed, waiting lists move
Waiting lists move as leaving families release places, so keep asking rather than assuming a school is closed.
Start of the school year
Term begins
The Sydney school year runs late January to mid-December, in four terms.
Mid-year
In-year entry
Possible, but limited to whichever year groups have room. This is where asking schools directly saves the most time.
What school costs in Sydney
Published tuition is the starting figure, not the total. These are the charges to budget for.
What the Sydney market costs, in round numbers
High band- Primary, per year
- AUD 24,000 – 38,000
- Secondary, per year
- AUD 30,000 – 48,000
- Roughly, in US dollars
- US$16,000 – 31,000
Indicative annual tuition across mainstream international schools, for the stated academic year. Individual schools publish their own fees per year group, the top of each market runs above these ranges, and registration, deposits, transport, uniform, meals and examination entries are billed separately. Figures refer to the 2025/26 academic year. Compare fees across cities.
- Tuition
- Published per year group by each school
- Registration fee
- Charged at application or offer stage, usually non-refundable
- Deposit
- Secures the place and is often deducted from the first term's tuition
- Transport
- School transport is charged separately and varies by distance and route
- Uniform, books, devices
- One-off costs at the start of the year, higher in the first year
- Meals and activities
- Optional at most schools, but a real part of the annual budget
- Examination entries
- IGCSE, A Level, IB and AP entries are billed in the exam years
See also understanding international school fees.
Places and waiting lists
Which Sydney schools have places for your children?
A place is not something a school has in general. It exists for one year group, at one campus, for one intake. Two children in the same family can get two different answers from the same school on the same day.
School websites cannot tell you this. Availability changes when a family leaves, when a contract ends, or when a new year group opens. That is why relevant schools answer directly instead of publishing a number that would be out of date by the time you read it.
For each child, a Sydney school can answer that a place is available, that there is a waiting list, that the intake is full, or that it cannot confirm yet. You see the answer, the fees and the next step, and you decide where to focus.
US$499 per family · One-time fee · You review the service and the price before you pay.
Your schools · 2 children · British curriculum · Starting August
Westbrook International School
From the school
North campus · British · Annual fees: Confirmed for your intake
Fees confirmed for the academic year you asked about
- Sofia · Year 4Place availablePlace available for August
- Luca · Year 1Place availablePlace available for August
Next step: Assessment, then offer
Harbour Ridge Academy
From the school
City campus · British · Annual fees: Confirmed for your intake
Fees confirmed for the academic year you asked about
- Sofia · Year 4Place availablePlace available for August
- Luca · Year 1Waiting listWaiting list, reviewed monthly
Next step: Campus visit, then assessment
Elmfield International College
From our team
Main campus · British · Annual fees: Earlier-year reference fee
Fees for your intake not yet confirmed
- Sofia · Year 4Not confirmedPlaces not yet confirmed
- Luca · Year 1Not confirmedPlaces not yet confirmed
Next step: We ask admissions to confirm
Every option says who provided the information and whether places are confirmed. Your adviser explains what each answer means for your children.
Example school options. School names in these examples are fictional.
Choosing where to live in Sydney
We do not rank areas. These are the questions that decide whether a school works day to day.
Lower North Shore: Mosman, Cremorne, Neutral Bay
Harbourside and family-focused, with strong government catchments and a cluster of independent schools.
Eastern Suburbs: Bondi, Randwick, Coogee
Beach living close to the city, popular with relocating families, with a mix of government and independent schools.
Inner West: Balmain, Newtown, Marrickville
Character housing, good transport and diverse local schools, at a lower price than the harbour suburbs.
Upper North Shore and North West
Houses, gardens and sought-after schools, with a longer train or motorway commute into the CBD.
Moving to Sydney with children: a checklist
The school-related steps that decide how smooth the first term is.
- Confirm each child's year group under the curriculum you are moving to in Sydney.
- Collect and, where required, attest school reports and certificates before you leave.
- Ask schools about places for every child in the same request, not one at a time.
- Check whether registration fees and deposits are refundable if your move date changes.
- Check the visa or residency steps that enrolment can depend on.
- Ask about learning support early, since capacity is decided case by case.
- Line up housing only after you know which school can take all of your children.
See also the moving-abroad timeline.
Moving with more than one child
One school that works for every child, not one child
Most families moving to Sydney are moving with more than one child, and the hardest part is rarely finding a good school. It is finding one school that can take all of your children in the same year.
Checking each child separately, school by school, is where the search becomes slow. A school that has room in Year 1 may be full in Year 4, and you only learn that after two emails and a wait.
One request covers every child. Each school answers for each child, so you can see immediately where all of your children could start together, and where you would be splitting the family across two schools.
- Ask once for the whole family, not once per child.
- See sibling answers side by side before you contact anyone.
- Ask about sibling priority and start dates while places are still open.
Your schools, side by side
Westbrook International School
- Information
- From the school
- Curriculum
- British
- Area
- North campus
- Annual fees
- Confirmed for your intake
- Next step
- Assessment, then offer
Harbour Ridge Academy
- Information
- From the school
- Curriculum
- British
- Area
- City campus
- Annual fees
- Confirmed for your intake
- Next step
- Campus visit, then assessment
Elmfield International College
- Information
- From our team
- Curriculum
- British
- Area
- Main campus
- Annual fees
- Earlier-year reference fee
- Next step
- We ask admissions to confirm
Westbrook International School
Harbour Ridge Academy
Elmfield International College
Sofia · Year 4
Luca · Year 1
Information
From the school
From the school
From our team
Curriculum
British
British
British
Area
North campus
City campus
Main campus
Annual fees
Confirmed for your intake
Confirmed for your intake
Earlier-year reference fee
Next step
Assessment, then offer
Campus visit, then assessment
We ask admissions to confirm
Example comparison. School names in these examples are fictional.
How schooling works in Sydney
Government schools enrol by residential catchment and are free for citizens and permanent residents; temporary visa holders usually pay a fee set by the department. Independent and Catholic schools set their own fees and admissions and are registered with NESA.
The four-term year runs January to December
Term 1 begins in late January or early February and the year ends in mid-December, with a six-week summer break over Christmas and shorter breaks between terms.
A northern-summer move lands in Term 3. Where you can, arrive in January so your children start with the cohort; otherwise expect a mid-year join, which schools handle routinely.
Catchments, and what temporary visas mean
Government school placement follows your residential address, so confirm the catchment before you sign a lease. Out-of-area places depend on space.
Children of temporary visa holders generally pay a government-school contribution set by the department, and some visa subclasses are exempt. Check the current rules for your subclass before budgeting.
HSC or IB
Most students finish with the Higher School Certificate, the NSW credential, which is widely recognised for university entry in Australia and abroad through the ATAR.
A limited number of independent schools offer the IB Diploma. If another international move is likely during senior school, ask each school how it supports transfers in and out.
Fees and the real annual cost
Independent tuition is billed per term or annually, and government schools charge contributions plus fees for temporary visa holders.
Uniform, textbooks, technology, camps, sport and excursions are separate. Sun-safe uniform items and swimming programmes are normal here and add to first-year costs.
Getting around and daily life
Trains, ferries and buses cover much of the city well, and older children commonly travel to school independently on a concession Opal card.
Traffic across the harbour at peak is heavy. Living on the same side as the school makes a bigger difference than the distance on a map suggests.
What families get wrong in Sydney
The local details that cost families a term, a deposit or a long daily drive.
Planning for a September start
The year runs late January to mid-December. A northern-summer arrival joins in Term 3.
Not checking visa-linked school fees
Temporary visa holders usually pay a government-school contribution. The amount depends on the subclass.
Signing a lease outside the catchment
Government placement is by address, and popular catchments have no spare capacity.
Assuming the IB is widely offered
Most senior students take the HSC. IB provision is limited to a small group of schools.
Underbudgeting the first year
Uniform, technology, camps, sport and excursions land on top of tuition, mostly in the first term.
Official Sydney resources
Primary sources for regulation, inspection and enrolment. We link out rather than paraphrase.
How InternationalSchools.org works in Sydney
Tell us what your family needs once, and see matched schools in Sydney with places, fees and next steps.
- 1
Tell us about your family and Sydney
Your children's ages and year groups, the curriculum you prefer, your budget and when you want to start. One brief covers every child named in it.
- 2
Your adviser researches Sydney
A 30-minute consultation, then research of the schools in Sydney that suit each child, and contact with relevant admissions teams about your start date.
- 3
Receive your recommendations
Three recommended schools plus up to two alternatives where suitable, with written reasoning for each child, a review call and follow-up questions answered for 30 days.
We do not publish scores or predict availability. How we select schools.
Questions families ask about Sydney
Find international schools in Sydney for your children
One conversation, every child, answers from the schools themselves.
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Go deeper on Sydney
How fees compare across cities
What is published, what is billed separately and how Sydney compares with the other markets we cover.
Compare the main curricula
British, IB and American side by side, and what a later move between countries changes.
How admissions work
The stages most international schools use, and where relocating families lose time.
Continue reading
Waiting lists and availability
How waiting lists really work, and what to ask before you join one.
School year and intake timing
When places open, and what a mid-year move changes.
How it works
From telling us what you need to answers from the schools themselves.
Other destinations
You can search any destination, published guide or not.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Guide version 3.1. Sydney information is compiled from official regulators, curriculum authorities and school-published material. Fees, intakes and requirements are set by individual schools and change, so confirm details directly with a school before you rely on them.
Sources
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