按年級瀏覽學校

學前教育是為兒童在入讀幼稚園前的一兩年所提供的幼兒教育，通常由三、四歲開始。它以遊戲為本，依循全國性的《幼年學習架構》，而非 NESA 的學校課程大綱，因此沒有正式科目或評估。重點在於透過遊戲、故事、音樂及小組活動，培養語言、社交能力、好奇心與獨立性，課程由合資格的幼兒教師主理。在新南威爾士州，學前教育並非強制，並於多種場所提供，包括社區及私營幼稚園、全日制托兒中心，以及少數附設於公立學校的幼稚園（多位於郊區及偏遠地區，或服務原住民社區）。入讀學前教育有助兒童更容易適應正式學校的生活規律。

幼稚園（Kindergarten）是正式學校教育的第一年，在課程中稱為 Early Stage 1。兒童通常於五歲入學，並須於年滿六歲當年起強制入學。大部分學習仍透過有組織的遊戲進行，讓兒童適應學校規律、課室環境及與他人相處。重點在於基礎讀寫，學習字母、發音及早期閱讀與書寫，以及基礎數理，例如數數、認識數字和簡單規律。學生會接觸各主要學習領域，包括英文、數學、科學與科技、創意藝術，以及個人發展與健康。入學時，教師會評估每名兒童的早期讀寫與數理能力，以規劃所需的支援。

Stage 1 covers Years 1 and 2, when children build on their Kindergarten start. Reading and writing become more confident and independent, and students work with larger numbers, simple addition and subtraction, and early measurement. Learning is organised across the six primary key learning areas: English, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Human Society and Its Environment, Creative Arts, and Personal Development, Health and Physical Education. There is a strong continued emphasis on phonics and number fluency as the foundation for later years, while lessons still make room for play and hands-on activities alongside more structured classwork. By the end of Stage 1, students are expected to read and write simple texts and solve everyday number problems.

Stage 2 covers Years 3 and 4. Students consolidate their literacy and numeracy and apply them across a wider range of subjects studied in more depth. They read and write longer and more varied texts, work with multiplication and division, fractions and data, and take on short research and project tasks. The six key learning areas continue, with science, history, geography and the arts becoming more distinct. Year 3 is the first year students sit the national NAPLAN assessments in reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy. Students are encouraged to work more independently and to explain their thinking — the stage where the focus shifts from learning to read toward reading to learn.

Stage 3 covers Years 5 and 6, the final stage of primary school. Students take on more extended and independent work, including longer writing, multi-step problems and research projects across the key learning areas. They deepen their mathematics with fractions, decimals, percentages and basic geometry, and develop stronger comprehension and critical-thinking skills, with Year 5 students sitting NAPLAN again. Much of Stage 3 also prepares students for the move to high school by building organisation, study habits and independence. Many primary schools run transition activities and orientation days with their local high schools during Year 6.

Stage 4 covers Years 7 and 8, the first years of high school. Students move from a single classroom teacher to specialist teachers for each subject and rotate between rooms across the day. They study the full range of key learning areas, including English, Mathematics, Science, History and Geography, a language, technology subjects, the creative and performing arts, and Personal Development, Health and Physical Education. The work becomes more demanding, with a stronger focus on independent study, organisation and meeting deadlines. Some subjects are studied for only part of the year on a rotation, giving students a taste of different areas, and Year 7 students also sit NAPLAN.

Stage 5 covers Years 9 and 10. Students continue the core subjects — English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography and PDHPE — while choosing elective subjects that suit their interests, such as a language, commerce, a technology subject, music or visual arts. These choices begin to shape each student's pathway and build the foundation for senior study. The work is more demanding and increasingly assessment-based, helping students develop the independent study skills they will need in Years 11 and 12, and Year 9 students sit NAPLAN for the last time. Students who complete Year 10 may receive the Record of School Achievement (RoSA), a formal record of their results for those who leave school before the HSC.

Stage 6 covers Years 11 and 12, the senior years of school. Students study Preliminary courses in Year 11, then Higher School Certificate (HSC) courses in Year 12. They choose their own pattern of subjects from a wide range of courses, keeping English as the one compulsory subject, and may include vocational education and training (VET) courses or study at TAFE. Senior study places greater weight on formal assessment, examinations and independent learning, and completing the requirements leads to the award of the Higher School Certificate. For students seeking university entry, their HSC results contribute to an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), though many go on instead to TAFE, apprenticeships or work.