Year 7 in South Australia: high school starts here.

If you went to school in South Australia, you probably finished primary school at the end of Year 7. That changed in 2022. Public school students now start high school in Year 7, the same as most of the country.^[1]

The practical upshot: the high school decision lands in Year 6, a year earlier than many parents remember.

School zones

Most public high schools have a zone. Living in it gives your child a right to a place.^[3] Popular schools also set a cap on how many Year 7s they take, and publish how they'll choose if more families apply than there are places. These capacity management plans are published in the SA Government Gazette and on school websites.^[1][2]

A few things catch families out:

• Zones and caps change. A school's ceiling for Year 7 can rise or fall as new schools open. Adelaide Botanic High, for example, has changed its Year 7 ceiling more than once.^[2]
• Moving in late is harder. Families who move into a zone after applications close are usually only offered a place if one is free.^[1]
• You'll need proof of address. Expect to show a lease, rates notice or similar.

Applying for Year 7

The Department for Education coordinates the move to high school. Your child's primary school sends information during Year 6, and you list your preferences through the department's process. Your zoned school is the safe choice. Out-of-zone schools take students only if there's room after local families.^[1]

Special entry programs

Some public high schools keep places for special entry programs, and an offer through one of them can get your child into a school outside your zone.^[4][3] They come in a few flavours:

• Gifted programs. The Ignite program runs at Aberfoyle Park High, Glenunga International High and The Heights School, with an entry test in February of Year 6.^[5]
• Academic or STEM programs. Adelaide Botanic High, for one, runs a small selective STEM pathway for Year 7, with applications closing in February of Year 6.^[6]
• Music, sport and languages. Many schools run special interest programs with auditions or trials.

Each program sets its own dates and steps, and some close very early in Year 6. Our guide to Ignite and scholarship tests goes into the academic ones.

Catholic and independent schools

Non-government schools run their own enrolments, often a year or more ahead, and many offer academic scholarships with a test. Ask each school for its timeline.

A simple timeline

Dates vary by school and year, so treat this as a guide and check each school's own page.

Getting ready for the work

The move is a big one: more teachers, more subjects and more independence. The children who settle fastest usually arrive secure in Year 5 and 6 maths and comfortable reading longer texts, because fractions, decimals, percentages and written explanations carry straight into Year 7.