Are there selective schools in Tasmania?
Independent. Not affiliated with the Tasmanian Department for Education, Children and Young People.
No. Tasmania's Department publishes no selective entry test 1Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Not published; gifted students in government schools get free Gifted Online courses, extension groups, acceleration and, for young children, early school entry.
Are there selective schools in Tasmania?
No. The Tasmanian Department for Education, Children and Young People publishes no competitive selective entry test for its schools. 1Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Not published
We checked the Department's pages on gifted students and on school testing. Neither describes a test that chooses students for a school. That is what the Department publishes, not proof that no school anywhere runs its own entry.
Instead, gifted students are supported inside their own school. The rest of this page sets out what that support looks like, and what families can ask for.
What does Tasmania offer gifted students instead?
Six kinds of support, all arranged through your child's school. Most are free, and none needs an entrance test.
Extension every day
Extension groups
Gifted students may join extension groups at school1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Gifted Online
The Department runs free online courses for gifted students, Prep to Year 101Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Acceleration
It means learning at a higher year level in one or more areas1Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, for highly gifted students.
Early school entry
For young children formally identified as highly gifted. Apply well before the end of August in the year before1Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Mentors
Schools can bring in external mentors, such as the STEM Professionals in Schools Program1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
What is Gifted Online?
Gifted Online is the Department's set of free online courses for gifted students, Prep to Year 101Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Courses cover most curriculum areas1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published, and your child takes part from their own school.
Children can learn on their own or talk with other students across Tasmania. That lets a gifted child work with like-minded peers without changing schools.
| Gifted Online at a glance | What the Department says |
|---|---|
| Cost | Free for students 1Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Years | Prep to Year 10 1Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Subjects | most curriculum areas1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
| Who teaches | experienced teachers, in Canvas1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
| Time needed | at least 1 hour a week of class time1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
| Length | most run for a school year; some for one term1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
| Support at school | a teacher at your child's school supports them1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
| At the end | a certificate emailed to your child's school1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
How does a child get a Gifted Online place?
Through the school, not by applying yourself. A place is requested by the child's school1Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and students are chosen on data and reasons from the school.
Talk to your child's teacher
Say what you see at home, and ask whether Gifted Online or an extension group would suit your child.
The school asks for a place
A Gifted Online place is requested by the child's school1Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Class time is set aside
Your child needs at least 1 hour a week of class time1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Your child learns online, with school support
The online teachers give feedback, and a teacher at your child's school supports them1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
A certificate at the end
Expect a certificate emailed to your child's school1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published at the end of the year.
If the school says no this year, ask what would help next time. Selection rests on the school's own data and reasons.
What is acceleration, and who is it for?
Acceleration means learning at a higher year level in one or more areas1Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. The Department offers it to highly gifted students, in one subject or more.
It is a school decision, made with you. Ask the school how it would check your child's readiness, and how it would support friendships with older classmates.
Can a gifted young child start school early?
Yes, for a young child formally identified as highly gifted. Apply well before the end of August in the year before1Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Start with the principal of your local school1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. The Department also publishes procedures and frequently asked questions on early entry, linked from its gifted students page.
Are there any dates to plan around?
There are no selective test dates in Tasmania. The dates that matter for gifted children are the early-entry timing and the school year.
| What | When | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Early school entry | Apply well before the end of August in the year before1Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | Only for children formally identified as highly gifted 1Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Gifted Online courses | most run for a school year; some for one term1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published | Your child's school arranges the place 1Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| NAPLAN | Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, in March each year2Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published | A national assessment, not a selection test 2Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
Are NAPLAN and PAT selection tests?
No. Tasmanian government schools use routine Progressive Achievement Tests2Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Published to follow reading and maths from Prep to Year 10. They help teachers, and they don't choose students for a school.
NAPLAN is sat in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, in March each year2Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published. The Department says there is nothing to worry about, and results are kept confidential2Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
A teacher may still look at these results when deciding about extension or Gifted Online. That is a school's choice, not an entrance test.
How can I help my gifted child at home?
Stay curious with them. The Department says the most important thing is to talk with your child about what is happening in the course1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
Remind your child that mistakes are part of learning1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published, and let them do their own thinking. Gifted children are still children: sleep, play and friends matter as much as extension.
The Department also lists the Tasmanian Association for the Gifted (TAG), a non-profit, parent-based organisation1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
What if we want a selective school?
You would need to look interstate, and each state has its own rules. Victoria's exam is sat in Year 8 and is open to children living in Victoria, interstate or overseas3Vic Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
| State | Year sat | Can a Tasmanian child apply? |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria | Year 8 3Vic Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | Yes: eligibility is the same for children living in Victoria, interstate or overseas3Vic Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| New South Wales | Year 6 4NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | The test is held only in NSW5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, and families must be living in NSW by the start of the entry year6NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published |
| Western Australia | Year 6 7WA Education · 12 October 2026 · Published | WA takes applications from families moving to WA for the intake year8WA Education · 13 October 2026 · Published |
A Year 2 child racing ahead in maths
Your child finishes class work early and asks for harder problems.
Ask the teacher about extension in class and an extension group. The Department says gifted students need a faster pace with less repetition1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
A Year 5 child who wants more challenge
Your child is bored and keen on science.
Ask whether the school will request a Gifted Online place. Courses need at least 1 hour a week of class time1Tas Education · 13 October 2026 · Published.
A family thinking about Melbourne for Year 9
You might move to Victoria for a selective entry high school.
Victoria's exam is sat in Year 8, and eligibility is the same for children living in Victoria, interstate or overseas3Vic Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Read about Victoria.
Questions parents ask about selective schools in Tasmania
Does Tasmania have selective high schools?
The Department publishes no selective entry test for its schools. 1Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Not published Gifted students are supported in their own school instead.
Is Gifted Online free?
Yes. The Department runs free online courses for gifted students, Prep to Year 101Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Published.
Who decides on a Gifted Online place?
The school asks for it: a place is requested by the child's school1Tas Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Students are chosen on data and reasons from the school.
Can my child sit the NSW Selective test from Tasmania?
Not in Tasmania. The NSW test is held only in NSW5NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published, so your child would travel to sit it, and your family must be living in NSW by the start of the entry year6NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Compare every state's tests.