Age to leave school

For free and confidential legal advice about this topic, please contact us here.

When can I leave School?

In the Northern Territory, the law says that you have to go to school from when you turn 6 until you finish Year 10 or turn 17 (whichever happens first).

If you have finished Year 10 but you haven’t turned 17 yet, then you have to do one of the following:

• Do some sort of approved education or training, for example an apprenticeship or traineeship or a TAFE Course at Charles Darwin University or the Bachelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education;
• if you’re over 15, work full-time (at least 25 hours a week)
• if you’re over 15, work part-time and do some other form of education or training at the same time (with a total of at least 25 hrs/ week of doing both these things)

For more information and how to apply to do these things, check out this website from the NT Department of Education: https://nt.gov.au/learning/primary-and-secondary-students/vet-and-apprenticeships-and-traineeships-in-school

In very special circumstances, you can get permission from the Minister for Education to leave school before you finish year 10. This might be necessary if you are very sick for example. If you would like more information about this, you can get help here.

What happens if I don’t go to school?

If you don’t go to school between the age of 6 and 17, or don’t complete Year 10, your parents can be fined. However, if you have a good reason for not attending school (for example, you’re very sick) then it’s OK.

If you’re meant to be at school, a police officer, inspector or education officer with an ID card could approach you in a public place during school time to ask your name and address, the name of the school and take you either to your home or school.

Unhappy at school?

If you’re not happy at school, it’s a good idea to talk to someone about what’s going on. You may want to talk to your school counsellor or career counsellor.

Also check out this factsheet from Reach Out: http://au.reachout.com/thinking-about-dropping-out#not

If you have any more questions about leaving school, you can get help here.