Parent choice, core knowledge, and school accountability
ACT wants parents to have more say in where their child goes to school. They support bringing back partnership schools (publicly funded but independently run) and want the curriculum to focus on reading, writing, maths, science, and history. They also want schools to be judged on results, and the best teachers to be paid more.
What they say they'll do
- Introduce Student Education Accounts — publicly funded accounts parents can spend at any registered school or provider
- Publish detailed, comparable school performance data for parents
- Raise teacher training standards with a focus on evidence-based literacy and numeracy methods
- Introduce performance-based pay so schools can reward their best teachers
- Restore and expand partnership (charter) schools — publicly funded but independently run
- Keep curriculum focused on core subjects: reading, writing, maths, science, and history
Who this affects
Parents and families
A Student Education Account would give parents a publicly funded amount they could direct to any registered school or provider, rather than being tied to a local school.
School students
The curriculum would centre on core subjects like reading, writing, maths, science, and history, and school attendance reporting would be strengthened to reduce truancy.
Teachers
Teacher training would be reshaped around evidence-based methods, and schools would be able to offer higher pay to teachers whose students show strong progress.
Families considering non-mainstream schools
Partnership schools — publicly funded but independently run — would be available as an option alongside state schools.
In their own words
“Every child should have access to a quality education that equips them with the knowledge and skills to succeed.”
“Introduce a Student Education Account system — every child to have a publicly funded account parents can use at any registered school or provider.”
“Reward the best teachers — performance-based pay enabling schools to pay their best teachers more based on student progress.”
Summarised neutrally from ACT’s own official policy (as at 2026-06-23) and checked by an editor — never paraphrased without the source linked, and never an endorsement. Read the original ↗ Arapono is non-partisan. Compare all parties on Education →
Coverage at a glance
Which party holds a published position on which topic.
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Published position∅ No stated position (verified) Not captured yet