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Home > Census instructions > Student definition (applies to regular full-time and part-time students)

Student definition (applies to regular full-time and part-time students)

A student must meet four requirements for you to include them in the Census form as a regular student*:

  1. The student (whether full or part-time) must be formally enrolled at the school on Census day.
  2. The student must be enrolled in a year level (other than ungraded students), mode of delivery and student-intake type (gender) that the school is accredited for at that location.
  3. The student must have attended the school for at least 11 days for full-time students (or at least the minimum period for part-time students) between the first day of the school year and Census Day.
  4. The student must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or a person with appropriate resident status.

However, you can include a student who has attended the school for less than 11 days for full-time students (or less than the minimum period for part-time students) in the Census if the student's absence was for a reason that was beyond the control of:  

Here are some broad examples of reasons a student may be absent that are beyond the control of the student's parent/guardian, or the student themselves (if they are living independently):

While it is not possible to provide an exhaustive list of examples to cover all contingencies, see Appendix 2 for some more detailed scenarios that sometimes arise in schools.

In each case where a student has attended the school for less than 11 days for full-time students (or less than the minimum period for part-time students) and you have included them in the Census form, you must have documented evidence confirming the reasons that prevented the student from attending the school during this period.

You should list all full-time students who have not met minimum attendance requirements in the section of the form called Full-time students who did not attend the school during the relevant period for the school for at least 11 days of the program or course of study in which they are enrolled.

You should list all part-time students who have not met their minimum attendance requirements in the section of the form called Part-time students who did not attend the school during the relevant period for at least the Minimum Period Part-time (MPP) of the program or course of study in which they are enrolled.

However, it is not possible to include full-time or part-time students, where those students have not attended the school by Census Day, even where their absence might be for a reason beyond their control.

Note: All enrolment, attendance and related documentation that you use to complete the Census form must be retained by the school/governing body for a period of five years from Census Day, and in a way that ensures the integrity and security of the data and documents.

*Please contact NSSAB Secretariat if you need further clarification regarding student definition.

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Distance education students

Students doing only part of their course through a School of Distance Education are not categorised as distance education students. For example, they might be taking a subject through a School of Distance Education that is not available at their school or they might be taking a subject available at the school that clashes with another subject they are studying.

For a governing body to be eligible to receive funding for distance education students, the school must be accredited by the Board to deliver education in distance mode. Please include students in this part of the form only if they meet the following criteria:

The school administration must maintain robust management systems of enrolment, attendance, learning activity and teacher interaction with all students they include in this Census form.

Resident in Queensland

A student is deemed to be living or residing in Queensland if their home address is in Queensland. Home address refers to the residential address where the student lives with a parent or guardian, or on their own (if they are living independently).

You can still include a student travelling interstate or overseas who continues to undertake a full-service delivery course in distance education and fulfils all other required distance education criteria, as long as their home address remains in Queensland during the time of travel and they do not temporarily or permanently relocate to another state or country. This concession applies only to short-term arrangements.

The school is responsible for keeping evidence confirming that the student’s main place of residence remains in Queensland and that any interstate or overseas travel is a temporary arrangement. The evidence should make it obvious that the student is not resettling interstate or overseas, and that any travel is transient.

Evidence may include current copies of:

More information is available in Appendix 1.

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Type(s) of education

Primary students

A primary student is a student participating in education in the Preparatory (Prep) Year or from Year 1 to Year 6.

Preparatory Year

To be eligible for Prep Year, a child must be at least 5 years and 6 months old on 31 December in the year of attendance (also refer to section 17 of the Education (General Provisions) Regulation 2017).

The principal may enrol a child in Prep if the child will be at least 5 years and 5 months old on 31 December and if the principal is satisfied that the child is ready for education in Prep, considering the child's attributes.

The principal may enrol a child in Prep, regardless of their age, if the child has started education in another state or country that is equivalent to the Prep Year and if the principal considers the child ready for education in Prep, considering the child's attributes.

It is compulsory for all students enrolling in Year 1 to have undertaken a Prep Year at a state or non-state school, or equivalent, unless the principal is satisfied the child is otherwise ready to be enrolled in Year 1 of schooling at the school, considering the child's attributes.

Year 1 to Year 6

Section 18 of the Education (General Provisions) Regulation 2017 relates to the age for enrolment in Years 1 to 6.

Secondary students

A secondary student is a student participating in education from Years 7 to 12.

Ungraded students (special unit/class or non-special)

Ungraded students are students attending a primary, secondary or combined primary/secondary school who are unable to be allocated to a particular year level. However, you should identify the students as either primary or secondary students for grant purposes.

To meet the requirements under the Textbook and Resource Allowance scheme, ungraded secondary students will need to be further classified as being either under 15 years old (equivalent to Years 7 to 10) or 15+ years old (equivalent to Years 11 and 12) as at 1 January 2025. Payments under the scheme are made at one rate for Year 7-10 students and at a different rate for Year 11 and Year 12 students.

Ungraded students may include students with disability. These students may be in special classes or units in regular schools and will have been formally assessed as having a disability, and may or may not be integrated into a regular class for certain curricula activities, for example, mathematics or physical education.

The Census form uses the following acronyms:

>> Full-time students

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Last updated 3 February, 2025

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