Yirrkala Homelands School is located in the community of Yirrkala, 20km from Nhulunbuy and 700km east of Darwin. The population fluctuates between 800-1200 depending on the season and ceremonial activity. Particular clans own specific pieces of land in and around Yirrkala. The Rirratjingu and Gumatj clans are the traditional owners of Yirrkala. There are 16 clan groups that comprise the Yolngu cultural block of the Layanhpuy region in which Yirrkala is located. These clans remain connected and are highly mobile for ceremonial and family reasons. Other clan dialects are also used. English is used as a minor language, a third or fourth choice for most people. Yirrkala is accessible by road all year round.
Yirrkala Homelands School (YHS) provides education services to nine Community Learning Centres (CLCs). The CLCs are varying distances from Yirrkala with varied accessibility (often seasonal) to each site and deliver education to small groups of students unable to attend the central school in the area. The CLCs are the 'classrooms' of the YHS, ranging in size from 20 and 60 students with multi-age classes catering for students from early years to senior years. The school teaches only in English as requested by the community.
