From the Non-Government Schools Census to Student Attendance (STATS), the second half of 2026 brings a wave of data submission deadlines. Here is what you need to know to stay ahead of them.
For schools across Australia, the second half of the calendar year is when the reporting engine really turns over. Between the Non-Government Schools Census (census), the Compliance Certificate collection, Student Attendance (STATS) reporting and for schools running early learning programs, the ECEC National Workforce Census (NWC), the period from July onwards carries most of the deadlines that determine funding, compliance standing and public accountability for the year.
The Non-Government Schools Census
The census is conducted annually and provides the community and the Australian Government with deidentified information about schools and students, which is then used to calculate funding and shape policy.
For 2026, the key dates are firm: the census collection, including the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD), opens on 3 August, with census day falling on 7 August, and closes on 14 August. Should your school need to flag unusual circumstances, census special circumstances applications run from 7 to 21 August.
Missing the window or providing false or misleading information can lead to serious consequences. It can lead to an approved authority having its approval varied or revoked or a delay in recurrent funding.
It should also be noted that the Department of Education has updated the NCCD Guidelines, effective from 2026 onwards. The revisions focus on clarity, accuracy and accessibility. Key updates include:
- a requirement for schools to document their reasons where they do not consult a parent, guardian or carer before making adjustments for a student
- a clarification that the flexibility around timing of adjustments does not apply to Extensive adjustments, which must be in place at all times
- strengthened guidance directing school teams to confirm that adjustments stem from disability rather than academic performance or external factors before imputing disability
- new examples of supporting evidence, such as an Individual Learning Plan.
Importantly, none of these revisions change the NCCD submission process itself.
Don't Miss the Compliance Certificate Collection
The Compliance Certificate collection provides a level of assurance that approved authorities for schools are complying with ongoing policy requirements under the Australian Education Act 2013 (Cth) (Act) and the Australian Education Regulation 2023 (Cth) (Regulations).
For 2026, the Compliance Certificate collection opens on 11 August and closes on 11 September.
The compliance certificate process requires approved authorities to answer questions about policy requirements relating to the Act and the Regulations on behalf of the school(s) operated during the 2025 school year. These requirements include:
- implementing the Australian Curriculum
- providing information about a school’s students
- providing readily understandable student reports to the parents or carers of each student.
The compliance certificate process is a risk-based annual assurance activity undertaken by the Australian Government Department of Education. The risk-based approach means that a sample of schools will be selected for the compliance certificate process each year.
Approved authority representatives will receive notification in August 2026.
STATS Reporting
STATS has two reporting periods each year: Semester 1 and Term 3. For 2026, Term 3 reporting opens on 16 September and closes on 23 October.
STATS collects student attendance rate data for full-time students in years 1 to 10, along with any ungraded students in the typical age group for those years. Data must be complete and correct for each school and its location.
Certain students must be excluded from the submission, including those in foundation year or earlier programs, students in years 11 and 12, part-time students, distance education students, home-schooled students and those no longer enrolled for the entire reference period. Students enrolled full-time for only part of the period are, however, included for the days they attended before ceasing enrolment.
STATS is a campus or location-level collection. Student attendance data should not be aggregated at a head location level.
For Schools with Early Learning: The ECEC NWC
The Social Research Centre will conduct the NWC between September and November 2026.
The NWC applies to all Child Care Subsidy approved providers, as well as dedicated preschools and kindergartens. It collects information about service use, children with additional needs, access to preschool programs and staff details (demographics, types of work, roles, wages, professional development, qualifications, tenure, experience and current study). This information is used to build a national overview of the early childhood education and care workforce and to inform policy and programs, including the National Children's Education and Care Workforce Strategy.
The NWC is also being aligned with the new National Early Childhood Worker Register to avoid asking services for the same information twice. To reduce the workload for services, the next census will no longer collect information about each individual worker; instead, it will gather simple, service-level data. This change is designed to make the census easier and faster to complete while still capturing the information the department needs.
Don't Forget the State Layer
However, federal collections aren't the whole picture. Each jurisdiction may have its own obligations, so schools should consider any additional state or territory reporting requirements alongside national ones, to make sure nothing is overlooked.
A Simple Plan for a Busy Season
The schools that handle this period well tend to do a few things consistently. They:
- confirm dates early
- start preparing ahead of deadlines
- give each collection a clear owner
- treat record-keeping as part of the submission instead of an afterthought.
Given the many different submission deadlines to keep track of, preparation makes all the difference. Chip away at the requirements over time, and every deadline should turn into a simple sign-off.
