Primary and secondary education in Australia includes pre-school, preparatory (or kindergarten), elementary, junior and high school education. The student’s education time in school is 13 years. Young people and children aged 6-16 must receive primary and secondary education.

Primary education usually lasts for 7-8 years, that is, preparatory classes to grades 6 to 7. It is usually part of elementary education. Junior high school education lasts from 3 to 4 years, that is, from grades 7 to 8 to 10. It is a general education for all students. In the following years, the students’ studies consist of core courses and their own elective courses. High school education covers grades 11 to 12. High school education includes a variety of courses to lay a solid foundation for students’ future study, employment, and adulthood.

Each state in Australia has its own high school graduation certificate, but this does not affect students’ freedom to apply for any university in Australia, because the high school results of all graduates will eventually be converted into a unified national Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, Referred to as ATAR), universities and higher education institutions use this ranking as the basis for admission of new students.