Kelvin Grove, QLD Family Guide

State schools in Kelvin Grove: two schools, two different ways in

Kelvin Grove has two state schools, and a family gets into each one in a completely different way. One takes children by address. The other takes students by application. If you are weighing a move here for the schools, this is the distinction to understand first.

Kelvin Grove State College: entry by address. It is one state college running from Prep to Year 12, and it enrols under an enrolment management plan. The plan draws two catchments, not one: a catchment for Prep to Year 6, and a different catchment for Years 7–12. An address can sit inside one and outside the other, so check both before you sign a lease. The plan also sets out how siblings are treated between the primary and secondary years. The college's own enrolments page and the department's published plan for the college carry the detail.

Queensland Academy for Creative Industries: entry by application. It is a selective-entry state academy for Years 10–12. Year 10 is a pre-IB year, and Years 11–12 study the International Baccalaureate Diploma. There is no catchment. Students apply with their school results, then sit an entrance test and an interview, and selection is on merit. Siblings get no automatic preference, according to the department's eligibility plan for the academy. Year 10 is the entry point, and applications go through the Queensland Academies Admissions Office (academy enrolments).

How a Queensland catchment actually works

• A state school brings in an enrolment management plan when it is nearing capacity. A child whose main home is inside the catchment is entitled to enrol. Out-of-catchment applications wait on a list and are only offered places once local places are reserved (Department of Education).
• Distance to the school is measured along the shortest road route to its main entrance, not in a straight line (Queensland Government).
• Expect to prove your address. The department asks for a primary document (a lease, a rates notice or an unconditional contract of sale) plus a utility bill, and a school can ask for more.
• The official map is EdMap, run by the Queensland Government Statistician's Office. Search an address and it shows the primary, junior secondary and senior secondary catchments separately. That matches the way Kelvin Grove State College splits its own.

The rest of the neighbourhood

The two state schools are not the only schools close by. This chart counts the schools listed in our directory within 2 km, by sector. Catholic and independent schools generally set their own enrolment rules rather than using catchments, so treat them as a separate application.

Classes after the bell

Most kids' listings around here are sport. For something else, these are the language, STEM and learning classes we list within 3 km.

Live from the AroundSchools directory — 4 of 35 kids' activity providers we list within 3 km of Kelvin Grove · correct as at 30 Sept 2026

Next steps

• Put your exact address into our school catchment checker or into EdMap, and check both the primary and the secondary catchment.
• Open the profiles for Kelvin Grove State College and Queensland Academy for Creative Industries, and nearby Petrie Terrace State School.
• See what else is on in Newmarket, Spring Hill and Paddington.