To check a Queensland state-school catchment, search your exact home address in the official EdMap tool, select the enrolment year and your child’s year level, then read the school’s enrolment requirements. If the school has a School Enrolment Management Plan, check that plan before applying. Your child’s principal place of residence is central to in-catchment eligibility.
Fact-checked 12 October 2026. This guide covers Queensland state schools; Catholic and independent schools have their own admissions processes.
Key takeaways
- EdMap can vary its result by calendar year and study year level. Set both before checking an address.
- Check primary, junior-secondary and senior-secondary stages separately.
- At a school with an enrolment management plan, prepare one primary residence document plus one matching secondary document.
- A school’s individual plan matters, especially for siblings, specialist programs and out-of-catchment applications.
- Confirm the exact address and proposed intake before making a property decision.
Queensland EdMap: get all three selections right
Home address
Use the child’s principal residence.
Enrolment year
Select the intended calendar year.
Study level
Check the appropriate Prep–6, 7–10 or 11–12 layer.
Recheck the same address for the child’s intended year and level.
Queensland EdMap. Sources checked 12 October 2026.
How to check your address in EdMap
Open Queensland Government EdMap and enter the full residential address. Set the intended calendar year of enrolment and the year level of study in the map options. A family checking Year 7 entry next year needs that combination, rather than leaving a default primary or current-year view selected.
The map distinguishes primary, junior-secondary and senior-secondary catchments. Primary covers Prep to Year 6; junior secondary covers Years 7 to 10; senior secondary covers Years 11 and 12. Check the relevant stage for each child instead of assuming one result answers the question for the whole family.
You can also search a school by name to inspect its boundary. This is useful when comparing several properties around a preferred school. Search each full address rather than treating a suburb, postcode or a street name as a single enrolment area.
EdMap notes that catchments are regularly reviewed and can change. It also says the boundary drawn on the map takes precedence if it conflicts with the search-results information panel. If a result looks inconsistent, ask the school to confirm the exact address and intended intake rather than deciding from the conflicting labels yourself.
The government’s catchment guidance describes a local school using the shortest direct road route to the main entrance. For a household decision, use EdMap’s mapped catchment and school confirmation instead of calculating your own distance or relying on a straight-line map measurement.
What is a School Enrolment Management Plan?
A School Enrolment Management Plan, often shortened to School EMP, manages enrolment at a state school approaching its capacity. It reserves capacity for local students and sets conditions for accepting students from outside the catchment.
Use the department’s School EMP directory to find your preferred school and read its current plan. Focus on the eligibility criteria, catchment map, proof-of-residence requirements, treatment of particular programs and application process.
At an EMP school, a student whose principal place of residence is within catchment is entitled to enrol, subject to the Education Act’s requirements. Schools also reserve places for students who move into catchment during the year. A general report that a school is busy therefore does not replace assessment of a local application.
Contact the office even if the mapped result is clear. Ask how to apply, which documents to prepare and whether an interview is part of the process. The government’s how-to-enrol guidance advises checking school-specific procedures and preparing documents for the enrolment interview.
Prepare the right proof-of-residence documents
Queensland’s general EMP guidance uses a two-part evidence pattern: one primary source and one secondary source. The documents should support the address where the student principally lives, rather than simply an address the family owns or can access.
Typical address-evidence pair at a Queensland EMP school
One primary document
Current lease, rates notice or unconditional sale contract.
One secondary document
A utility bill.
Matching details
Same address and guardian name; the school may ask for more.
This is not NSW’s 100-point system. Read the chosen school’s current EMP.
Queensland School Enrolment Management Plans. Sources checked 12 October 2026.
The primary document can be a current rental or lease agreement, a rates notice or an unconditional contract of sale. The secondary document can be a utility bill, such as electricity or gas, showing the same address and the parent or guardian’s name.
Before you lodge the application, check whether the names and addresses match and whether the school wants additional evidence for your circumstances. If the principal is not satisfied that the documents establish principal residence, further records or a sworn declaration may be requested.
Recent moves can make this practical rather than straightforward. You may have a lease but not yet have a bill, or the bill may still show your previous address. Explain the timing to the school and ask which evidence it will accept. Do not substitute an address where the child will not principally live.
If your child will live with a relative or another person inside catchment, the general EMP guidance requires sworn declarations from the parent or guardian and from the person providing that accommodation, in addition to the residence documents. The principal may ask to discuss the arrangement with those involved.
For separated households or changing care arrangements, describe the actual living arrangement and ask the school what documents it needs. Keep your application, residence evidence and relevant court-order information consistent. Do not assume that an occasional stay alone establishes principal residence.
Do siblings get a place outside catchment?
Queensland’s general EMP guidance includes groups entitled to enrol as though they were in catchment. Current-student siblings are one such group, but the conditions matter. The applicant’s attendance must overlap with the current sibling’s attendance. At a school with primary and secondary campuses, the entitlement is limited to the same campus as the enrolled sibling.
The guidance also excludes siblings of Program of Excellence students and siblings of students placed at the school following exclusion elsewhere from this automatic sibling provision. If a sibling attends through a special program, ask the office which enrolment category applies before planning around the family connection.
Children of parents or guardians employed by the school are another group in the general guidance. Other categories involve particular care, disability, remoteness or placement circumstances. Read the individual school plan and discuss your circumstances directly; a short online summary cannot determine every family’s eligibility.
Applying when you are out of catchment
You can apply to a state school outside your catchment, but an ordinary out-of-catchment application does not guarantee a place. Schools need sufficient spare capacity after allowing for local arrivals and projected enrolment growth.
The government guidance says out-of-catchment applications are placed on a waiting list and assessed in the order received. Ask the school when it accepts applications, whether its plan distinguishes program entry and what information you need to provide. Get the school’s process rather than relying on another family’s experience from a previous intake.
Keep your local-school enrolment option progressing while the preferred school makes its decision. Record when you applied, who you spoke with and when the office expects to give an outcome. Ask how to update your application if your address or circumstances change.
Before you move: check the school and the school day
For a proposed rental or purchase, send the school the full address, expected move date, child’s year level and intended starting year. Ask it to confirm the mapped catchment, applicable EMP, required residence evidence and application steps. Request clarification before relying on a property advertisement or paying for arrangements that depend on a particular school.
Next, compare daily fit: the route to the school gate, before- and after-school care, learning support and communication with families. Our school-tour questions give you a reusable checklist. A place on the map is the start of that conversation.
Organise a Queensland shortlist with AroundSchools
Use our school catchment checker to explore mapped options and the Queensland school directory to compare schools. Then verify the chosen address and intake in EdMap and with the school.
On 12 October 2026, our directory held 1,029 primary and 273 secondary Queensland catchment records, 1,302 in total, stamped 2026. This is directory coverage, not an official total of current catchment boundaries and not an enrolment determination. A 2026 record stamp does not replace checking the calendar year your child will start.
For each shortlisted school, record the EdMap year and level, contact person, plan checked, document requirements and application status. If you are comparing a move to the coast, our Sunshine Coast schools guide provides a broader starting point. Explore the Kids’ Activity Index alongside school research when thinking about the family’s weekly routine.
Frequently asked questions
Can the same address have different catchment results?
Yes. EdMap allows for calendar year and study year level. Select the combination that matches your child’s intended enrolment.
Is Queensland’s address check the same as NSW’s 100-point system?
No. Queensland’s general EMP guidance uses one primary residence document plus one secondary document, with further evidence where needed. Check the individual school’s requirements.
Does having a sibling always guarantee a place?
The general sibling entitlement has conditions, including concurrent attendance, campus restrictions and program-related exclusions. Ask the school which category applies to your family.
Can we apply outside catchment?
Yes, but ordinary out-of-catchment offers depend on capacity and the school’s EMP. Keep the local-school option progressing while you wait.
Related reading
- Find your school catchment: a state-by-state guide
- Starting school in 2027: your enrolment-to-first-day countdown
How we checked: Queensland Government’s catchment guidance, EdMap, School EMP guidance and enrolment steps were checked on 12 October 2026. AroundSchools coverage describes directory records on that date. Confirm address eligibility and the individual plan with your school before acting.
