The Programme for International Student Assessment for 2006 ranks the Australian education system as 6th on a worldwide scale for Reading, 8th for Science and 13th for Mathematics.[8] The Education Index, published with the UN's Human Development Index in 2008, based on data from 2006, lists Australia as 0.993, amongst the highest in the world, tied for first with Denmark, Finland and New Zealand.[9]
Education is compulsory up to an age specified by legislation; this age varies from state to state but is generally 15-17, that is prior to completing secondary education.[10] Post-compulsory education is regulated within the Australian Qualifications Framework, a unified system of national qualifications in schools, vocational education and training (TAFE) and the higher education sector (university).
The academic year in Australia varies between institutions, but generally runs from late January/early February until mid-December for primary and secondary schools, with slight variations in the inter-term holidays[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] and TAFE colleges,[19][20][21] and from late February until mid-November for universities with seasonal holidays and breaks for each educational institute.[22]