Crisafulli Government delivers cost of living relief as Back to School Boost begins for Term 1

The Crisafulli Government is doing its bit to ease cost-of-living pressures on Queensland families with the Back to School Boost officially launching.
Every primary school student benefits from the $100 credit on their school account.
Back to School Boost helps with school essentials including books, excursions, sports fees and uniforms.
Across Queensland, school is in session for around 895,000 students and 65,000 kindy kids.

The Crisafulli Government is helping ease cost-of-living pressures for families, with the Back to School Boost rolling out on the first day of the 2026 school year.

As part of the Crisafulli Government’s plan to deliver a fresh start for Queensland, every primary-school-aged child across Queensland’s state, catholic and independent schools will receive a $100 credit to help ease costs for families.

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 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.

It’s just one of the ways the Crisafulli Government is delivering a better lifestyle through a stronger economy, with the $200 Play on Sports Vouchers also helping ease cost of living pressures on Queensland families.

Premier David Crisafulli said the $100 Back to School Boost would be funded in the Budget each year to provide certainty to families.

“We’re doing our bit to help ease the cost pressures on families with the Back to School Boost, this year and every year going forward,” Premier Crisafulli said.

“This will help families as they get young students ready to hit the ground running in 2026.

“We know this time of year can be expensive for families, but we’re stepping up to do our bit to support them.”

Minister for Education John-Paul Langbroek said 895,000 students would be attending schools across Queensland this year.

“It’s wonderful to see the excitement and energy as students return to classrooms across our State,” Minister Langbroek said.

“2026 promises to be a big year of learning and I look forward to visiting schools to see the excellent teaching that is happening in our classrooms.

“The Crisafulli Government is delivering a record $21.9 billion Education Budget to make sure every student can access a world-class education and reach their potential.

“We are delivering a plan for Queensland’s future by building the schools needed to support our growing communities, putting more teachers in safer schools, and by improving learning outcomes for the next generation of Queenslanders.”

For further information, visit www.qld.gov.au/backtoschool/boost

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Kate Rogers, 0426 414 298.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Queensland’s 1,266 state schools are opening their doors this morning for around 568,000 students, including:
- About 323,000 primary school students.
- About 245,000 secondary students.
- 43,000 Prep students.
- More than 56,000 teachers are welcoming state school students.
- 19,000 teacher aides will be assisting in classrooms.
- More than 65,000 children will begin Kindy programs, including about 1,000 in State Delivered Kindergarten and eKindy programs.
- According to the Commonwealth Government, a further 327,000 students are set to start the school year in Queensland’s Catholic and Independent schools.

Table 1. Estimated state school enrolments by region

Region	2026*
Central Queensland	46,000
Darling Downs South West	37,000
Far North Queensland	34,000
Metropolitan North	104,000
Metropolitan South	131,000
North Coast	74,000
North Queensland	31,000
South East	111,000
Total	568,000

Enrolments are 2026 estimates as at 8 January 2026