Your starting steps

Homeschooling in New South Wales

Home schooling is legal in NSW. You register with the NSW Department of Education, which took over regulation from NESA on 5 May 2025.

Source ↗ · undated (current page, verified 2026-07-13)

Your authority: NSW Department of Education ↗

You're not alone

NSW home-schooling registrations rose from 5,907 in 2019 to 12,762 in 2024 — more than doubling in five years, with around 54% of registered children having previously attended a NSW public school.

Source ↗ · 2025-10-05

The standard

What's expected of your program

NSW is the strictest state: your program must be 'based on and taught in accordance with the relevant NESA syllabuses', and you must keep records showing your planning, delivery, your child's progress and time allocation against those syllabuses.

Source ↗ · undated (current page, verified 2026-07-13)

Registration

Your checklist to register

Your child's birth certificate or identity document.
Source ↗ · requirement effective 2026-05-05
Two documents proving your NSW residential address.
Source ↗ · requirement effective 2026-05-05
Any relevant court or guardianship orders.
Source ↗ · requirement effective 2026-05-05

Dates

The timeline that matters

The document requirements above apply to new applicants from 5 May 2026.

Source ↗ · effective 2026-05-05

After you're registered

Keeping it going

Keep records showing your planning, delivery, and your child's progress against the relevant NESA syllabuses.

Source ↗ · undated (current page, verified 2026-07-13)

One last thing

Confirm every detail on the official New South Wales page

This is a plain-English roadmap. Your state authority is the source of truth — open it, and you'll recognise every step above.

Open the official NSW page ↗← Choose a different state