Schoolect

Parent guide

Find My School NSW: One Address Search for Every Sector

How to run an address-first search across all 3,139 NSW schools, with catchment, filters, and a shortlist at the end.

SchoolectPublished 5 July 2026Updated 5 July 2026
Two high school students walking across a school courtyard
Photo by natasha march on Unsplash

Schoolect is built for the question parents actually ask first:

What schools are near this address, and which ones are worth comparing?

Use it as an address-first school search. Start with where your family lives, then narrow the results by the things that affect the school week: catchment, school type, sector, travel, care, programs, support, fees, buses, and the shortlist you can realistically inspect.

Quick answer

Enter the address in Schoolect, then use the result list like this:

  1. Check the local public catchment result.
  2. Widen the view to nearby public and non-government schools.
  3. Filter by school type, sector, distance, care, buses, support, fees, and programs.
  4. Open school profiles for the details that matter to your child.
  5. Save serious options to a shortlist.
  6. Compare the shortlist side by side before you book tours or contact schools.

Step 1: Search the exact address

Use the full street address, not just the suburb.

Suburbs are too broad for school selection. Two homes in the same suburb can sit in different public intake areas. A school that looks closer on the map can still be outside the local public catchment for that address.

This matters when you are:

  • checking your current home
  • looking at a rental
  • deciding whether a house purchase changes school options
  • planning ahead for Year 7
  • comparing public and non-government schools in the same area

If you are researching a property, use the exact address from the listing. Do not rely on a suburb headline or a parent-group screenshot.

Step 2: Treat catchment as the anchor, not the whole answer

For public schools, the catchment result is the first thing to understand.

It tells you which public school is linked to the address, and that link is strong: if you live inside a public school's enrolment area, your child is guaranteed a place at that school. The closest public school is not always the designated local school, which is exactly why the address matters more than the map. (The official School Finder tool covers public schools within 105km of your home, and only public schools.)

But catchment is not the whole decision.

It does not tell you whether a Catholic school is a better daily fit. It does not tell you whether an independent school has a realistic commute. It does not tell you whether a selective, specialist, support, boarding, or distance option belongs on your list.

Use the local public school as the anchor, then compare the other schools that are genuinely in play.

Step 3: Switch between public and non-government options

Families rarely compare one sector only, and the numbers show why. NSW had 3,139 schools at the ABS's 2025 count, with 773,956 students in government schools and 483,774 in non-government schools. Nationally, independent school enrolments grew 3.4% in the past year while government enrolments fell 0.2%, so the cross-sector comparison is now a normal part of choosing a school.

In Schoolect, use sector filtering to separate or combine:

  • government schools
  • Catholic schools
  • independent schools

This is the part that makes the address search useful. You can start with the local public option, then see what else sits nearby without opening a dozen different tabs.

The rules are different across sectors:

  • Public schools can depend on local intake areas and non-local availability.
  • Catholic schools may use diocesan, parish, sibling, feeder, faith, or school-level priority rules, and systemic Year 7 applications can close 2 years before the first day, while your child is still in Year 5.
  • Independent schools (426 of them across NSW, plus 137 campuses) set their own application process, fees, offers, and waitlist timing.

Schoolect will not pretend those are the same. The goal is to put them in one view so you can decide what to investigate next.

Step 4: Use filters to remove noise

A long list is not a shortlist. You are narrowing from a state with 3,139 schools down to the handful your family can actually inspect.

Once the address result loads, narrow it by the parts that would actually change your decision.

Good first filters:

  • Distance: tighten the radius until the daily trip feels realistic.
  • School type: separate primary, secondary, central, or specialist options.
  • Sector: compare public, Catholic, and independent schools together or one at a time.
  • Catchment: focus on schools linked to the address when public enrolment is the immediate question.
  • Fees: remove options that are not financially realistic.
  • Care: check before and after school care for younger children.
  • Transport: look for school bus support when the commute is tight.
  • Boarding: keep it visible only if boarding is part of the plan.
  • Support: check learning support and wellbeing signals early.
  • Programs: look for languages, sport, arts, facilities, academic programs, and practical pathways.

If every school still looks possible after filtering, your filters are too loose. A parent-friendly search should leave you with schools you can actually call, tour, or compare properly.

Step 5: Open the school profiles

The result list helps you sort. The school profile helps you decide whether to keep a school on the shortlist.

Use profiles to check:

  • programs and specialty type
  • sport, languages, performing arts, and clubs
  • facilities and care options
  • boarding and scholarships where listed
  • school bus and transport details where available
  • HSC context for high school choices
  • school life details that are hard to compare from a map

For a high school search, do not look only at distance. Check whether the school runs the subjects, support, and activities your child is likely to use all the way through Years 7 to 12, not just in the junior years.

For a primary school search, care, routine, communication, support, and the daily handover can matter as much as a short trip.

Step 6: Save the serious options

Save the schools you are actually weighing up.

This is where the search becomes a decision tool. A shortlist lets you stop re-running the same search and start comparing the schools beside each other.

Keep the shortlist tight:

  • one reliable local public option
  • one or two non-government options if they fit
  • one stretch option only if you understand the entry process
  • one backup if timing, fees, or commute could knock out your first choice

A shortlist of 2 or 3 serious options usually beats a long list you cannot inspect properly.

Step 7: Use official rules when a place depends on them

Schoolect helps you find and compare schools. Enrolment decisions still sit with the school and the relevant sector.

Use official rules when:

  • a public catchment result affects a rental or purchase
  • a public school may ask for address documents
  • you want a non-local public school
  • Year 7 timing matters
  • your child needs support, specialist placement, or adjustments
  • a Catholic or independent school has its own entry criteria

For NSW public schools, some schools use a 100-point residential address check when they are near or above their enrolment buffer, and every document must be in the enrolling parent's name. If your plan depends on a public catchment place, keep current address documents ready and confirm the next step with the school.

Deadlines are real: Year 7 expressions of interest for 2027 entry were due by 27 March 2026, and out-of-area applications cascade through up to 3 preferences with no guarantee of success. For Catholic and independent schools, check the school's current enrolment page, dates, fees, and offer process. Those schools do not use the same public catchment rules.

Common ways to use Schoolect

Moving house

Search the property address before you sign. Check the local public school, then compare nearby Catholic and independent options. Look at commute, care, fees, and sibling logistics before you assume the move works.

Starting Year 7

Search from home, switch to secondary options, and compare public, Catholic, independent, selective, specialist, and support pathways. Save the schools that are realistic, then check each school's dates.

Comparing public and non-government schools

Keep the local public school in the list as the anchor. Add Catholic and independent schools only if the commute, fees, values, programs, and entry process are realistic.

Checking support fit

Use the search to find schools close enough to work day to day. Then inspect profiles and contact schools early. For public support classes or specialist placements, the school can explain the process that applies.

The parent-friendly order

Here is the clean way to use Schoolect.

  1. Search the exact address.
  2. Check the local public catchment result.
  3. Add nearby public, Catholic, and independent schools.
  4. Filter out schools that will not work.
  5. Open profiles for the serious options.
  6. Save a shortlist.
  7. Compare the shortlist side by side.
  8. Contact schools only after the list is focused.

Official references