The Northern Territory education system traditionally consists of primary schools, which accommodate students from transition to Year 6, and high schools, which accommodate students from Years 7 to 12.
A significant percentage of the Territory's population are Aboriginal people living in remote areas.
Most of these are based in communities, which are like towns but differ in that they are owned and run by the local population.
Some communities viewed as sustainable in the long-term have been labelled "Territory Growth Towns" by the Territory Government and will attract increased investment to improve services.
Prior to the 1980s, most schools were founded by religious institutes, but with the decrease in membership of these institutes, together with major reforms inside the church, lay teachers and administrators began to take over the schools, a process which completed by approximately 1990.