The New South Wales education system traditionally consists of primary schools, which accommodate students from Kindergarten to Year 6 (ages 5–12), and high schools, which accommodate students from Years 7 to 12 (ages 12–18).
In New South Wales, a high school generally covers Years 7 to 12 in the education system, and a central or community school, intended to provide comprehensive education in a rural district, covers Kindergarten to Year 12.
An additional class of high schools has emerged in recent years as a result of amalgamations which have produced multi-campus colleges consisting of Junior and Senior campuses.
In the Illawarra and South East regions, Karabar (in Queanbeyan) and Smith's Hill (in Wollongong) are selective, whilst Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts and Illawarra Sports High School are specialist.
Approximately 2,000 New South Wales students attend schools in the Australian Capital Territory.