If your child wants to leave school early

Information and options to help with making the best choices for leaving school.

The legal leaving age is 17

In Victoria, the law is:

Your child cannot leave schooling until they are 17 years old.
Your child must go to a school campus (or an approved alternative) until they finish year 10.
After year 10, your child does not need to go to a school campus. But they must take part in education, training or employment for at least 25 hours per week, until they are 17 years old.

Research shows that many students who leave school without finishing year 12 will:

Encourage your child to stay in school and explore their options for finishing year 12. Finishing year 12 will help them later in life.

Talk to your school’s careers practitioner and bring your child to the meeting. The careers practitioner can tell you about their options.

Schools provide different ways to finish year 12 and can tailor the experience to your child’s goals, interests and strengths by including:

the study option that suits them. This could be the VCE, VCE Vocational Major or Victorian Pathways Certificate
vocational training in your child’s studies, which is practical or hands-on learning
incorporating an school-based apprenticeship or traineeship where you child will split their leaning between school, a workplace and potentially a TAFE.

If finishing year 12 is not the best option for your child, there are other options like finishing year 12 through a non-school provider.

For help with preparing for this conversation, see Talk to your child about their career.

Updated 26 March 2026