If you are moving to Brisbane with children, where you live matters for school as well as for the commute. Every Queensland state school has a catchment area, and at busy schools the places are kept for children who live inside it. The Queensland Government describes a school catchment area as the area where a state school’s core intake of students must live.
This guide covers how catchments work, how to look up an address before you sign a lease or buy, and what to bring when you enrol. The same rules apply across south east Queensland, so it is just as useful if you end up in Logan, Ipswich, Moreton Bay or the Redlands. You can compare those areas on our council areas page.
How catchments work for a state school in Brisbane
Your local state school is the one closest to your home, measured by the shortest, most direct road route to and from the school’s main entrance. The catchment page says catchments are there so every student from Prep to Year 12 can enrol at their local state school.
The Queensland Government Statistician’s Office draws the boundaries. Its catchment FAQ explains that it measures the equal distance between neighbouring schools along trafficable roads, and reviews the boundaries every year. New roads, new estates and new schools can all shift a line.
- Every school has one: all Queensland state schools have a catchment area.
- Not always enforced: the FAQ says catchments are only enforced at schools with a School Enrolment Management Plan.
- Existing students are safe: a boundary change does not affect children already attending the school.
- Primary and high school differ: EdMap shows separate catchments for primary, junior secondary and senior secondary year levels.
Checking an address for a state school in Brisbane with EdMap
The official tool is EdMap, run by the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. You can type in a home address to see every school catchment that covers it, or type in a school name to see its boundary on the map.
Set two options before you search. EdMap notes that catchments can vary by the calendar year of enrolment and by year level, so set the year your child will start and the year level they will be in. If the map and the information panel disagree, EdMap says the boundary drawn on the map takes precedence.
Check an address before you commit to a house. If you are renting, our guide to renting in Brisbane explains leases and bonds, and the lease itself becomes one of your enrolment documents.
When a state school in Brisbane has an enrolment management plan
A School Enrolment Management Plan, or School EMP, is how a full school protects places for local children. The Department of Education’s School EMP page says schools must put one in place when enrolments reach 80% of the school’s capacity, and the principal then has to restrict out of catchment enrolments.
The same page lists every school with a plan. Plenty of Brisbane names are on it, including Brisbane State High School, Indooroopilly State High School, Kelvin Grove State College and Mansfield State High School. Check the list for any school you are considering, because the plan sets out its catchment, capacity and proof of residency rules.
Newcomers need to watch the timing. The department’s School EMP procedure says that, under the Act, the student must be living in the catchment when the enrolment application is made. A house you plan to move into next term does not count yet.
Proof of address for a state school in Brisbane
For a school with a plan, the procedure asks for two documents showing the same address.
- One primary document: a current lease agreement, a rates notice or an unconditional contract of sale.
- One secondary document: a utility bill, such as electricity or gas, with that address and the parent’s or guardian’s name.
- Possible extras: the principal can ask for more, such as a driver’s licence or bank statement with the current address, or proof you have left your previous home.
Some children can enrol as if they were in catchment. The procedure lists siblings of current students, with some exceptions, and children of parents employed by the school, among others.
Applying to a state school in Brisbane outside your catchment
You can still apply. The catchment page is clear that out of catchment enrolment is not guaranteed and you will go on a waiting list, with applications assessed in the order they arrive.
Whether a place opens up depends on the school. It has to meet all in-catchment enrolments first, allow for families moving into the catchment during the year and keep year levels balanced within class size targets. At a school with a plan, out of catchment places are only offered if spare capacity remains after local children are looked after.
How to enrol at a state school in Brisbane
The steps on the official how to enrol page are short. Usually you can enrol your child a year ahead.
- Check the plan: see whether the school has a School EMP and whether your address is inside its catchment.
- Contact the school: generally the year before your child starts, and check its website for its own procedures.
- Fill in the form: complete the application for student enrolment from the school’s website or office.
- Attend the interview: an enrolment interview is generally held at the school with the principal or another senior officer, such as the deputy principal.
Schools might ask for your child’s birth certificate or passport, information about medical conditions, medication and their doctor, any relevant Family Court or other court orders, and details of previous schools or care providers. Proof of residency is added for schools with a plan.
To find a school’s contact details, search the Department of Education’s Schools Directory by name or suburb, or phone 13 QGOV (13 74 68). The directory counts 1,266 state schools in Queensland. If you are weighing up private options too, the how to enrol page notes that Catholic and independent schools often accept applications up to 2 years in advance.
Starting Prep at a state school in Brisbane
Check the Prep cut-off early if you are moving from another state. According to the enrolment age requirements, children must be 5 by 30 June in the year they start Prep. Prep is compulsory before Year 1, and the Prep enrolments page says it runs Monday to Friday, generally from 9am to 3pm.
- Compulsory school age: from 6 years and 6 months until a child turns 16 or finishes Year 10, whichever comes first.
- Delayed start: you can delay Prep by one year, and the department says no formal documentation, assessment or approval is needed.
- Early start: possible if your child turns 5 by 31 July and the principal is satisfied they are ready.
- Coming from another state: a child who has already started a program equivalent to Prep elsewhere may also start early, again if the principal agrees.
The early and delayed entry rules are set out on the department’s early and delayed entry to Prep page. Once school is sorted, our guide to joining kids sport in Brisbane covers weekend activities.
State school in Brisbane FAQs
Can I enrol before I have moved in?
At a school with a School EMP, no. The procedure says the student must be living in the catchment when the application is made, and you prove it with a current lease, rates notice or unconditional contract of sale plus a utility bill. At a school without a plan, ask the school how it handles a family that is still moving.
Will my child lose their place if the catchment changes?
No. The catchment FAQ says students already attending a school are not affected by changes to catchment areas. For questions about a boundary change, the FAQ gives the School EMP team’s email, schoolemp@qed.qld.gov.au.
Are the rules different outside Brisbane City Council?
No. Catchments and enrolment are run by the Queensland Government, so the same rules apply at state schools in Logan, Ipswich, Moreton Bay and the Redlands. The Brisbane City council page covers the council side of your move.
Sources for this state school in Brisbane guide
- Catchment areas: Queensland Government, School catchment areas.
- Catchment FAQ: Queensland Government, State school catchments FAQ.
- Catchment maps: Queensland Government Statistician’s Office, EdMap.
- Enrolment management plans: Department of Education, School Enrolment Management Plans.
- Proof of residency: Department of Education, School EMPs procedure.
- Enrolling: Queensland Government, How to enrol.
- Ages: Queensland Government, Enrolment age requirements.
- Prep: Queensland Government, Prep enrolments.
- Early and delayed Prep: Department of Education, Early and delayed entry to Prep.
- Finding a school: Department of Education, Schools Directory.
Facts on this page were checked on 8 November 2026.
