62.5% ▲ +18.9%
Higher than 85% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 52.6%
- 2016: 57.1%
- 2021: 62.5%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Blue Mountains · Council (LGA)
Education & Qualifications in Blue Mountains
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
A high percentage of adults in the Blue Mountains hold a university degree, with 32.7% having a bachelor degree or higher. This is well above the national figure and shows a strong trend toward higher education. The area is notably well-qualified, with a significant rise in both school and university completions over the last decade.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
School completion is high in the Blue Mountains, where 62.5% of residents finished Year 12. This is well above the state and national figures, and the rate has risen by 9.9 percentage points since 2011.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Blue Mountains, Year 12 is the majority at 65%; Year 10 is next at 23%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
The number of people with a university degree is much higher than most similar areas. Since 2011, the share of adults with a bachelor degree or higher has risen by 8.5 percentage points to 32.7%.
32.7% ▲ +35.3%
Higher than 88% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 24.1%
- 2016: 27.5%
- 2021: 32.7%
Share of people aged 15+ whose highest qualification is a bachelor degree or above (incl. graduate and postgraduate).
Highest qualification level
View on map →Blue Mountains splits fairly evenly between Bachelor degree (32%) and Certificate III / IV (27%), with Advanced diploma / diploma at 19%.
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common fields of qualification are management and commerce at 15.7%, followed closely by society and culture at 15.6% and education at 13.2%.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Local schools are larger than most areas, with 36 schools serving 11,328 students. The average school advantage score is much higher than most areas, and most students attend government schools (63.9%).
36
Higher than 85% of council (lga) areas.
Number of schools in the area.
2.64
Lower than 66% of council (lga) areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
11,328
Higher than 78% of council (lga) areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
315
Higher than 62% of council (lga) areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
1,065
Higher than 86% of council (lga) areas.
Enrolment-weighted average ICSEA — an index of socio-educational advantage, centred near 1000 (context, not a quality ranking).
Schools serving Blue Mountains
36 schools — 11,328 students, average ICSEA 1,065.
By sector: Government 23 · Independent 8 · Catholic 5
By type: Primary 24 · Combined 7 · Secondary 5
| St Columba's Catholic College, Springwood | Catholic | Secondary | — | 1,112 | 1,088 |
| Blaxland High School, Blaxland | Government | Secondary | — | 998 | 1,065 |
| Katoomba High School, Katoomba | Government | Secondary | — | 862 | 1,034 |
| Winmalee High School, Winmalee | Government | Secondary | — | 698 | 1,040 |
| Wycliffe Christian School, Warrimoo | Independent | Combined | — | 586 | 1,100 |
| Springwood High School, Springwood | Government | Secondary | — | 566 | 1,027 |
| Blue Mountains Grammar School, Wentworth Falls | Independent | Combined | — | 512 | 1,140 |
| Blaxland East Public School, Blaxland East | Government | Primary | — | 379 | 1,068 |
| Springwood Public School, Springwood | Government | Primary | — | 370 | 1,059 |
| Wentworth Falls Public School, Wentworth Falls | Government | Primary | — | 370 | 1,074 |
| Faulconbridge Public School, Faulconbridge | Government | Primary | — | 368 | 1,063 |
| St Thomas Aquinas Primary School, Springwood | Catholic | Primary | — | 368 | 1,095 |
| Winmalee Public School, Winmalee | Government | Primary | — | 359 | 1,043 |
| Hazelbrook Public School, Hazelbrook | Government | Primary | — | 356 | 1,044 |
| Glenbrook Public School, Glenbrook | Government | Primary | — | 338 | 1,120 |
| Ellison Public School, Springwood | Government | Primary | — | 283 | 1,051 |
| Korowal School, Hazelbrook | Independent | Combined | — | 259 | 1,084 |
| Blackheath Public School, Blackheath | Government | Primary | — | 254 | 1,050 |
| Mount Riverview Public School, Mount Riverview | Government | Primary | — | 231 | 1,050 |
| Katoomba Public School, Katoomba | Government | Primary | — | 210 | 1,035 |
| Leura Public School, Leura | Government | Primary | — | 199 | 1,055 |
| Lawson Public School, Lawson | Government | Primary | — | 196 | 1,000 |
| Mountains Christian College, Blackheath | Independent | Combined | — | 169 | 1,040 |
| St Finbar's Primary School, Glenbrook | Catholic | Primary | — | 166 | 1,110 |
| Lapstone Public School, Glenbrook | Government | Primary | — | 158 | 1,113 |
| Warrimoo Public School, Warrimoo | Government | Primary | — | 146 | 1,052 |
| Blaxland Public School, Blaxland | Government | Primary | — | 137 | 1,068 |
| Katoomba North Public School, Katoomba | Government | Primary | — | 128 | 986 |
| Our Lady of The Nativity Primary School, Lawson | Catholic | Primary | — | 115 | 1,076 |
| Kindlehill School, Wentworth Falls | Independent | Combined | — | 114 | 1,077 |
| OneSchool Global NSW - Mount Victoria, Mount Victoria | Independent | Combined | — | 87 | 976 |
| Blue Mountains Steiner School, Hazelbrook | Independent | Primary | — | 69 | 1,073 |
| St Canice's Primary School, Katoomba | Catholic | Primary | — | 67 | 1,020 |
| Mount Victoria Public School, Mount Victoria | Government | Primary | — | 56 | 1,039 |
| Wycliffe Hope School, Warrimoo | Independent | Combined | — | 39 | 1,037 |
| Megalong Public School, Megalong Valley | Government | Primary | — | 3 | 1,046 |
Sources
More for Blue Mountains
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Blue Mountains [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA10900/blue-mountains/topic/education