Prep Age Calculator Australia
Work out when your child may start Prep, Foundation / Prep, Kindergarten, Reception, Pre-primary or Transition in Australia based on their year of birth and state or territory.
- Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania commonly use Prep-related wording.
- Other states use different names for the year before Year 1.
- The calculator also estimates early learning, Year 1 and Year 7 where relevant.
Prep age calculator
Choose your child’s birth year and state or territory to estimate their first school year, Year 1 and Year 7.
What age does a child start Prep in Australia?
There is no single national Prep starting age because each state and territory uses different school entry names and cut-off dates. In Queensland, Prep usually starts when a child turns 5 by 30 June. In Victoria, Foundation / Prep usually starts when a child turns 5 by 30 April. In Tasmania, Prep is the compulsory school year after Kindergarten, with the key age rule based around 1 January.
Is Prep the same as Kindergarten, Reception or Pre-primary?
Broadly, these names often describe the first formal school year before Year 1, but each state uses its own terminology.
Prep and Foundation / Prep
Queensland uses Prep. Victoria uses Foundation as the official name, but many families and schools still call it Prep. Tasmania also uses Prep for the first compulsory school year.
Kindergarten and Reception
NSW and the ACT use Kindergarten as the first year of primary school. South Australia uses Reception.
Pre-primary and Transition
Western Australia uses Pre-primary, while the Northern Territory uses Transition. These are the equivalent first school-year stages before Year 1.
Prep age and first school year by state
Use this table as a simple guide to the first formal school year across Australia.
| State / Territory | First formal school year | General starting rule | Year after | Detailed calculator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queensland | Prep | Children usually start Prep if they turn 5 by 30 June. | Year 1 | Queensland School Age Calculator |
| Victoria | Foundation / Prep | Children usually start Foundation / Prep if they turn 5 by 30 April. | Year 1 | Victoria School Age Calculator |
| Tasmania | Prep | Prep usually follows Kindergarten. Children can attend Kindergarten if they are 4 on or by 1 January, and Prep is the compulsory school year after that. | Year 1 | Tasmania School Age Calculator |
| NSW | Kindergarten | Children can usually start Kindergarten if they turn 5 on or before 31 July. | Year 1 | NSW School Age Calculator |
| ACT | Kindergarten | Children can usually start Kindergarten if they turn 5 on or before 30 April. | Year 1 | ACT School Age Calculator |
| Western Australia | Pre-primary | Children usually start Pre-primary if they turn 5 by 30 June. | Year 1 | WA School Age Calculator |
| South Australia | Reception | Reception can start in Term 1 or Term 3 depending on the child’s birthday range. | Year 1, after 4 or 6 terms of Reception | SA School Age Calculator |
| Northern Territory | Transition | Transition is the first primary school year before Year 1. | Year 1 | NT School Age Calculator |
Prep age questions this page helps answer
Parents often search for Prep even when their state uses a different word. This page helps connect those searches to the right state-based answer.
What year does my child start Prep?
In Queensland, your child usually starts Prep in the year they turn 5 by 30 June. In Victoria and Tasmania, the Prep-related rules are different.
What comes before Prep?
In Queensland, Kindy usually comes before Prep. In Victoria, 4-Year-Old Kinder usually comes before Foundation / Prep. In Tasmania, Kindergarten comes before Prep.
What comes after Prep?
Year 1 usually comes after Prep or its state equivalent, such as Kindergarten, Reception, Pre-primary or Transition.
Choose your state calculator
For the clearest answer, use the state-specific calculator for where your child will attend school.
Prep age calculator FAQs
Quick answers for parents trying to work out Prep age and the first year of school in Australia.
What age does Prep start in Australia?
It depends on the state. Queensland Prep usually starts when a child turns 5 by 30 June. Victoria Foundation / Prep usually starts when a child turns 5 by 30 April. Tasmania Prep follows Kindergarten and is linked to the 1 January rule.
Is Prep used in every Australian state?
No. Prep is mainly used in Queensland, commonly used alongside Foundation in Victoria, and used in Tasmania. Other states use names such as Kindergarten, Reception, Pre-primary or Transition.
Is Prep the same as Kindergarten?
It depends on the state. Queensland Prep is broadly similar to NSW Kindergarten as the year before Year 1, but WA and Tasmania use Kindergarten for the early learning year before the first full-time school year.
What comes before Prep?
In Queensland, Kindy usually comes before Prep. In Victoria, 4-Year-Old Kinder usually comes before Foundation / Prep. In Tasmania, Kindergarten comes before Prep.
What comes after Prep?
Year 1 usually comes after Prep or its state equivalent. South Australia is slightly different because Reception can involve 4 or 6 terms before Year 1.
Why does the calculator show more than one result?
The calculator uses year of birth only. If a state cut-off date splits the birth year, children born before and after the cut-off may have different school starting years.
Is this Prep age calculator official?
No. This is an independent guide for parents. Always confirm enrolment rules with your local school or education department.
Calculate your child’s Prep or first school year
Select your child’s birth year and state or territory to estimate Prep, Foundation / Prep, Kindergarten, Reception, Pre-primary, Transition, Year 1 and Year 7.
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