School zones
Find your local school
Use findmyschool.vic.gov.au to search for your local government school. This is the official and most up to date school zones map.
Going to your local school
Most parents send their child to the public school closest to where they live. The designated neighbourhood school is measured by a straight line from your permanent address,
If your child lives at multiple addresses, their permanent address is where they spend most of their weekdays.
For more information, The Department provides guidance through the School Placement Policy to ensure that students have access to their designated neighbourhood school.
You can find more information and answers to frequently asked questions on the Department’s website under School zones.
Going to a non-local school
You have the choice to enrol your child at a school outside of your designated neighbourhood zone. The school may accept this enrolment as long as it has enough space. Once the school is full, it cannot accept enrolments from outside its neighbourhood zone.
School zone changes for 2020
Some zones have changed for the 2020 school year. You can find the 2020 zones at findmyschool.vic.gov.au.
If your child is already enrolled at a school and your local zone changes, you do not need to re-enrol at another school. If your child wasn’t able to enrol in your preferred school last year but is now in that school’s zone, there are options. The first step is to speak to your school.
Most zones will not change in the future.
For school zone advice, call 1800 896 950 or email vsba@edumail.vic.gov.au.
Enrolment appeals
You can appeal if the school decides not to enrol your child in year 7. The placement committee at the school will review your appeal. Contact the school to lodge an appeal.
Other zones and school types
- Single-sex schools have zones to ensure they can cater for local children but they are not created the same way as mainstream schools and are usually larger. This is because they are not a local school for all children. You have the choice to attend a single-sex school. If you are in the zone for a single-sex school, you will also be in the zone for a co-ed school.
- Zones for multi-campus schools will depend on local arrangements (e.g. how close the campuses are and whether they cater for junior or secondary students or both) check findmyschool.vic.gov.au to see their zones.
- Community schools and English language schools do not draw from their local area only and so do not have a zone.
- Selective entry schools do not have zones, but they have other enrolment rules.
- Specialist schools do not have zones but they do have designated transport areas.
Download the information on this page as an FAQ (Word document, 19 pages).