Homeschooling · Foundation–Year 12 · All states and territories

Homeschooling in Australia: the complete step-by-step guide for families

A plain-English walkthrough of homeschooling in Australia - the law in each state, how to register, planning your curriculum, day-to-day rhythms, and how homeschooled students sit the HSC, VCE, QCE, and earn an ATAR.

Last reviewed 2026-05-20.

Start here (3 questions) →Step 1: Decide & registerSwitching from schoolWhat it costsJump to your state

Why we built this section

Most Australian homeschool families spend their first three months piecing together information from PDFs on eight different government websites, a handful of out-of-date blog posts, and Facebook groups. The rules genuinely are different in every state - but the journey is largely the same in every state.

This section walks you through that journey in four steps:

  1. Decide and register - is homeschooling right for your family, what the law actually says where you live, and how to lodge a registration that gets approved first time.
  2. Plan your curriculum - how to design a learning program that satisfies your authority without burning you out, with templates for scope and sequence and the Australian Curriculum learning areas.
  3. Day-to-day teaching - timetables, record-keeping, multi-age teaching, assessment, socialisation, and the practical rhythm that makes homeschooling sustainable for years rather than months.
  4. Exams and post-school pathways - how homeschooled students sit the HSC, VCE, QCE and equivalent senior credentials, how the ATAR is calculated for homeschoolers, and the routes into TAFE, university, apprenticeships and work.

It works whether you're considering homeschooling from prep, switching mid-primary, or pulling a teenager out for Years 11 and 12. We cover the full Foundation–Year 12 journey.

Choose your path

You can read the four-step journey in order, jump straight to your state's registration rules, or do both. Most families end up coming back to the journey pages repeatedly as their needs change - registration in Year 1 looks nothing like registration when your child is sitting Year 12 externally.

A note on the law

Homeschooling is legal in every state and territory in Australia, but it is regulated. The body you register with, the curriculum you must demonstrate, the documents you submit, the fee (if any), and the renewal cycle all differ. Skipping registration is not a grey area - it's an offence in every Australian jurisdiction, even if enforcement varies.

Each state page on this site has the registering authority, the application URL, the fee, the typical registration period, the curriculum basis, and a date showing when the information was last reviewed. Always cross-check the official authority page before you send paperwork - these rules change, and they often change quietly.

Who this guide is for

  • Families considering the switch - wondering whether it's even an option, what it would cost, and what the legal hurdles are.
  • Newly registered families - looking for templates, sample timetables, and confidence that they're doing it right.
  • Long-term homeschool families - coming up to renewal or trying to figure out senior credentials.
  • Families who want their child to sit the HSC, VCE or QCE without enrolling in a school - this is harder than many families expect, but it is possible, and we walk through how.

You won't find a paywall, an upsell, or a curriculum we want to sell you. ExamExplained is funded by Better Tuition Academy so this material can stay free for every Australian family.

The four-step homeschooling journey

Linear if you want it to be, dippable if you don't. Most families come back to these pages repeatedly as their needs change.

  1. Step 1

    Step 1: Decide and register

    Is homeschooling right for your family? What the law actually requires, how to register in your state, and the paperwork you need before day one.

  2. Step 2

    Step 2: Plan your curriculum

    How to design a learning program that satisfies your registering authority — Australian Curriculum alignment, learning areas, scope-and-sequence, and choosing a homeschooling style.

  3. Step 3

    Step 3: Day-to-day teaching

    Sample timetables, record-keeping, assessment, multi-age teaching, socialisation, and the practical rhythms that make homeschooling sustainable.

  4. Step 4

    Step 4: Exams and post-school pathways

    How homeschoolers sit HSC, VCE, QCE and equivalent senior credentials, how the ATAR works for homeschooled students, and routes into TAFE, university, and apprenticeships.

Homeschooling in your state or territory

The body you register with, the curriculum required, the fees and the renewal cycle all differ between states. Pick yours for the specifics.

Year-level curriculum templates

Stage-grouped scope-and-sequence templates aligned to the Australian Curriculum. Use them as a starting point for your learning plan - authorities accept them as a basis and you can adapt freely.

For when a subject is outside your wheelhouse

Hit a subject you can't teach? Add a BTA tutor for that one.

Most homeschool families do brilliantly until a specific subject — usually senior maths, physics, chemistry or essay marking — outruns the parent. That's exactly when a weekly 1-on-1 with a BTA tutor pays for itself. You stay the teacher for everything else.

Book a free first lesson →How BTA fits a homeschool family

$70/hr with code examexplained through 2026-12-31. Free first lesson, no contract.

More guides

Companion pages for specific situations.

For homeschoolers thinking about senior credentials

ExamExplained covers the three biggest senior credentials in Australia in depth. Homeschoolers sitting these subjects (typically via a distance education school) can use all of this material.

Sources

Every regulatory claim on this page is sourced. Verify against the relevant authority before acting on anything material. Last reviewed 2026-05-20.