A school catchment area is the geographical location where a state school’s core intake of students must live.

Catchment areas ensure every Queensland student from Prep to Year 12 is able to enrol at their local state school.

Your local state school (primary or secondary) is the school which is closest to your home. This is measured by the shortest, most direct route by road—to and from the main entrance of the school.

Out-of-catchment enrolments

You can still apply for enrolment at a state school outside of your catchment area, but enrolment is not guaranteed and you will be placed on a waiting list.

Applications are processed and assessed in the order they are received.

A state school’s ability to accept students who live outside its catchment area depends on whether the school:

• has capacity once all in-catchment enrolments are met
• needs to allow for students relocating into their catchment area during the year
• can ensure an even spread of students across all year levels while maintaining class size targets
• can ensure their out-of-catchment enrolments do not reduce their capacity to meet in-catchment enrolments.