Schools in Australia

Gross enrolment overall: 110.2%* (2010)

Primary female–male ratio: 0.99:1 (2010)

Secondary female–male ratio: 0.95:1 (2010)

Responsibility for education lies with the states and education systems vary. There are 11 years of compulsory education starting at age five. The school year starts in January.

*The GER may be greater than 100 per cent when students younger or older than the official age for a given level of education are enrolled in that level.

There are over 2000 private or independent schools throughout Australia, most of which are located in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. In terms of academic performance, Melbourne and Sydney have the best schools, private or otherwise. Many private schools provide pre-university qualifications of international standard, such as A-levels and the International Baccalaureate (IB).