The new Queensland Government is delivering back-to-school relief for families with a range of initiatives and programs designed to make the school year easier.
Helping to ease cost-of-living pressures for families, the Back to School Boost provides every primary-school-aged child across Queensland’s state, Catholic and independent schools with a $100 credit to help ease costs.
Parents can choose to use it on the cost of items or activities offered by the school, such as camps, excursions, incursions and extracurricular activities, stationery, uniforms, or excellence programs.
For state school students, a $100 credit will be applied to the student’s school account. The non-state school sector will be responsible for the administration of the $100, including how it can be applied to reduce fees or other related school costs.
The Back to School Boost is provided once per year. All students in primary school (Prep-Year 6) are eligible, including children who attend a special school or children enrolled in home education.
Encouraging children to stay active remains a priority, with Round 2 of the $200 Play On! Sports Vouchers now open in 2026. Families with children aged between five to 17 can apply for vouchers to help cover registration, membership, or participation fees. The program supports physical activity while easing financial pressure and includes providers offering inclusive activities for children living with a disability.
Speaking about the government’s $200 Play On! Sports Vouchers, Sunshine Coast parent Alex Amal Massey said: “The vouchers are great incentives for getting children active.”
The new Queensland Government’s Free Kindy program is giving kids the chance to explore, play, and learn. Designed for the year before they start school, kindy helps children develop important early learning skills, build confidence, and enhance their overall wellbeing.
The program has already lifted kindergarten enrolments by nearly 10 per cent statewide. The program provides 15 hours of play-based education each week for four-year-olds, delivered by qualified teachers across kindergartens, long day care services, certain state schools, and the eKindy distance program.
Health and wellbeing are also supported through the Healthy Kindy Kids program, offering free vision, hearing, speech, and language screenings for kindy-aged children. The program will roll out statewide by the end of 2027, helping identify concerns early and support up to 60,000 children each year.
The new Queensland Government is delivering a plan for Queensland’s future to ensure Queensland kids have access to a world-class education. Upgrades to schools across the state include new classrooms, school halls, sports courts, outdoor learning centres, and playgrounds.
The Behaviour Boost initiative for schools is also delivering safer classrooms to give all students the best opportunity to learn.
The program provides $45 million annually to support behaviour management strategies in state schools. It has been widely supported by principals, and teachers, and is now a permanent feature of Queensland’s education system.
Schools have the flexibility to use their funding to engage behaviour specialists, implement tailored strategies, and build staff capability to address behavioural challenges quickly and effectively.
The new Queensland Government’s Gateway to Industry Schools Program continues to connect students in Years 7 to 12 with priority industries, including automotive, agribusiness, advanced manufacturing, health and community services, aerospace, information technology, construction, and energy.
The program has reached more than 54,000 students since 2022 and is funded to continue through to 2028.
For parents of older students, the focus shifts to pathways and independence. Ganesh Deshpande, whose two children study at Queensland University of Technology, said practical support and clear transitions made a tangible difference.
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