Today is the first day of the 2023 school year for hundreds of thousands of excited students.

Nearly 200,000 South Australian students in government schools and preschools are heading back to the classroom from today.

This includes about 14,000 of our youngest and most eager students, who will be attending preschools or kindergartens for the first time.

More than 14,000 teachers and support staff will also be on the ground from today across our 509 government schools and 383 preschools.

Enrolments in schools across South Australia also includes about 50,000 students in the Catholic system and about 45,000 in independent schools across the state.

Department for Education Chief Executive Professor Martin Westwell wished all new students and staff the best as they embark on the new school year.

“Following on from a series of forums last year engaging with young people about the purpose of public education, I’m looking forward to continuing this conversation with other important stakeholders,” said Prof. Westwell.

“This work is being undertaken to ensure South Australian public schools are best placed to prepare young people to thrive in the future.”

“While our children and educators are hard at work, we will be here to support them in a wide range of ways to ensure the best outcomes for them all.”