Children in Australia usually start boarding in the middle or senior years — often Year 7 or Year 9, sometimes later. Weekly board covers weeknights; full board includes weekends. Entry is competitive at well-known houses but is not a single national exam. Confirm year levels, fees and places with the school.
Start here
Choose travel, then gender, then the house culture on a Saturday night. The fee PDF comes after the shortlist — never before the school has certified it.
Age and year level
There is no statutory boarding age for independent schools. Families usually start looking two years before the intended entry year. Some houses fill Year 7 first; others take a larger Year 9 intake. Ask which years still have beds.
Weekly versus full board
Weekly board suits families within a Friday drive. Full board suits remote, interstate and many overseas families. A house that empties on Friday afternoon is a different Saturday night from a regional campus that stays full. Read how fees work for the billing difference.
Entry
Expect an application, recent reports, and often an interview or tour. Scholarships have their own dates. This directory does not process applications and does not publish cut-off scores we cannot certify.
Packing
The handbook beats any generic list. Typical first-term items: named uniform, casual clothes for weekends, a device the school allows, and a small comfort object. Leave valuables at home.
After the FAQ
Use the list, a state hub, or a gender pathway. Then write to the school.
What age can children start boarding?
There is no single Australian statutory starting age for independent boarding. Most houses take boarders from Year 7 or Year 9. A few offer earlier or later entry. Some junior campuses have paused board. The honest first sentence is: confirm the current boarding years with the school before you apply.
Families usually start looking two years before the intended entry year. Popular city houses can fill Year 7 first. Regional houses may take a larger mid-secondary intake. A sibling already in the house does not guarantee a bed. Ask.
Weekly versus full board, in practice
Weekly (weekday) board usually covers Monday to Friday. Full board includes weekends, plus arranged exeats. The pastoral culture follows the nights. A house that empties on Friday is a different Saturday from a regional campus that stays full.
Price the mode you will actually use. A “cheaper” weekly line plus weekly flights can exceed full board. A full-board line for a child who goes home every Friday is a mismatch. See how fees work.
How competitive is entry?
Well-known city houses can wait-list popular years. Regional houses are often more flexible. There is no national entrance exam. Expect an application, recent reports, and often an interview or tour. Scholarships have their own dates and instruments.
This directory does not process applications and does not publish cut-off scores we cannot certify. “Competitive” is not a ranking of schools. It is a description of one year’s demand at one campus.
What should students pack?
Start with the school’s boarding handbook. Uniforms, devices, bedding and prohibited items are campus-specific. Pack less than you think. Houses have laundry and a shop run. Label everything. A small comfort object is more useful than a second suitcase. Leave valuables at home.
Generic internet packing lists skip the items that get a child sent to the office on day two. The handbook wins.
How do I choose a school?
Filter by travel you will actually do, then by girls’, boys’ or co-ed, then by year level. Visit the house on a weekend if you can. Verify fees, scholarships and CRICOS status with the school. Rural versus city is a travel choice, not a quality ranking. Read how to choose.
Money, scholarships and overseas
This site does not publish a live national price. Costs combine tuition, boarding, levies and extras. Request this year’s schedule from each school on your shortlist.
Many schools offer academic, music, sport, means-tested, and some rural or Indigenous awards. A scholarship may cover tuition only. Confirm this year’s instrument and whether boarding is included.
International students can board at CRICOS-registered schools that accept overseas boarders. Under-18 students need an approved welfare arrangement. Homestay is not always boarding. This FAQ is not visa advice.
What this directory will not do
We will not rank campuses, invent fees, hold places, or enrol students. School names are public facts, not recommendations. If this page and the school disagree, the school wins. Corrections: contact.
Questions we will not answer with a winner
Which school is best? Which is cheapest? Which is safest? Which guarantees an ATAR? Those questions belong to a household and to the school’s current documents — not to a directory. We will explain structure, travel and how to verify. We will not pick a crest.
If you need a sector body, use ABSA. If you need visa rules, use official government sources. If you need a bed, write to admissions.
Research only. Contact the school.
How this FAQ relates to the rest of the site
State hubs answer “what exists in this geography”. Gender pathways answer “what exists for this house type”. Fee pages answer “how invoices are structured”. Guides answer “how to tour, pack, and choose a year”. This FAQ is the short version of those pages with the first sentence written as the answer.
If you need more than a paragraph on weekly versus full board, open the weekly versus full essay. If you need Year 7 versus Year 9, open that guide. If you need CRICOS, open international students. Do not expect this FAQ to replace a handbook.
Research only. Contact the school for the current document.