44.0% ▲ +32.2%
Higher than 58% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 33.3%
- 2016: 37.3%
- 2021: 44.0%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Port Macquarie-Hastings · Council (LGA)
Education & Qualifications in Port Macquarie-Hastings
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Only 44% of people in Port Macquarie-Hastings have completed Year 12, which is far below the national figure. Despite this, the area has seen a steady rise in learning, with both school completion and university degrees increasing since 2011. It is a region where vocational training is common, though university rates remain well below the state average.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Far fewer people have finished Year 12 compared to the rest of Australia, though the rate rose 11 points since 2011 to reach 44%. Around 31% of residents stopped their schooling at Year 10, while 12.4% left at Year 9 or below.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Port Macquarie-Hastings, the largest group is Year 12 at 47%, followed by Year 10 (33%) and Year 9 or below (13%).
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
About 17% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, a figure that is higher than most similar areas but still well below the national average. The most common qualification is a Certificate III or IV, held by 35.7% of residents.
17.0% ▲ +52.1%
Higher than 68% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 11.2%
- 2016: 13.4%
- 2021: 17.0%
Share of people aged 15+ whose highest qualification is a bachelor degree or above (incl. graduate and postgraduate).
Highest qualification level
View on map →In Port Macquarie-Hastings, the largest group is Certificate III / IV at 44%, followed by Bachelor degree (24%) and Advanced diploma / diploma (19%).
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common fields of study for those with qualifications are management and commerce at 17.8%, followed by engineering and related fields at 13.9% and health at 12.7%.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
The region has 35 schools with 13,137 enrolments, which is larger than about 83% of similar areas. Most students attend government schools (60%), and the typical school is larger and has a higher advantage score than most areas.
35
Higher than 84% of council (lga) areas.
Number of schools in the area.
2.53
Lower than 68% of council (lga) areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
13,137
Higher than 81% of council (lga) areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
375
Higher than 70% of council (lga) areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
1,002
Higher than 68% of council (lga) areas.
Enrolment-weighted average ICSEA — an index of socio-educational advantage, centred near 1000 (context, not a quality ranking).
Schools serving Port Macquarie-Hastings
35 schools — 13,137 students, average ICSEA 1,002.
By sector: Government 21 · Catholic 8 · Independent 6
By type: Primary 23 · Secondary 8 · Combined 4
| St Columba Anglican School, Port Macquarie | Independent | Combined | — | 1,221 | 1,116 |
| MacKillop College Port Macquarie, Port Macquarie | Catholic | Secondary | — | 1,107 | 1,068 |
| St Joseph's Regional College, Port Macquarie | Catholic | Secondary | — | 1,026 | 1,017 |
| Camden Haven High School, Laurieton | Government | Secondary | — | 896 | 962 |
| Hastings Secondary College, Port Macquarie Campus, Port Macquarie | Government | Secondary | — | 717 | 971 |
| Wauchope Public School, Wauchope | Government | Primary | — | 624 | 900 |
| Hastings Secondary College, Westport Campus, Port Macquarie | Government | Secondary | — | 612 | 919 |
| Tacking Point Public School, Port Macquarie | Government | Primary | — | 594 | 1,054 |
| St Agnes' Primary School, Port Macquarie | Catholic | Primary | — | 553 | 1,029 |
| St Peter's Primary School, Port Macquarie | Catholic | Primary | — | 534 | 1,075 |
| Hastings Public School, Port Macquarie | Government | Primary | — | 526 | 1,019 |
| Wauchope High School, Wauchope | Government | Secondary | — | 458 | 894 |
| Port Macquarie Public School, Port Macquarie | Government | Primary | — | 451 | 932 |
| St Joseph's Primary School, Port Macquarie | Catholic | Primary | — | 397 | 1,017 |
| Lake Cathie Public School, Lake Cathie | Government | Primary | — | 395 | 1,007 |
| Westport Public School, Port Macquarie | Government | Primary | — | 365 | 888 |
| Heritage Christian School, Port Macquarie | Independent | Combined | — | 345 | 1,032 |
| Newman Senior Technical College, Port Macquarie | Catholic | Secondary | — | 327 | 996 |
| St Joseph's Primary School, Wauchope | Catholic | Primary | — | 277 | 1,011 |
| North Haven Public School, North Haven | Government | Primary | — | 232 | 997 |
| Kendall Public School, Kendall | Government | Primary | — | 206 | 936 |
| Beechwood Public School, Wauchope | Government | Primary | — | 184 | 959 |
| St Joseph's Primary School, Laurieton | Catholic | Primary | — | 181 | 1,011 |
| The Nature School, Port Macquarie | Independent | Combined | — | 171 | 1,054 |
| Laurieton Public School, Laurieton | Government | Primary | — | 151 | 991 |
| Telegraph Point Public School, Telegraph Point | Government | Primary | — | 126 | 968 |
| Nautilus Senior College, Port Macquarie | Independent | Secondary | — | 113 | 833 |
| Port Macquarie Adventist School, Port Macquarie | Independent | Combined | — | 91 | 1,011 |
| Port Macquarie Steiner School, Port Macquarie | Independent | Primary | — | 69 | 1,051 |
| North East Public School of Distance Education, Port Macquarie | Government | Primary | — | 45 | 979 |
| Comboyne Public School, Comboyne | Government | Primary | — | 36 | 926 |
| Long Flat Public School, Long Flat | Government | Primary | — | 36 | 887 |
| Herons Creek Public School, Herons Creek | Government | Primary | — | 25 | 919 |
| Rollands Plains Upper Public School, Rollands Plains | Government | Primary | — | 24 | 939 |
| Huntingdon Public School, Wauchope | Government | Primary | — | 22 | 838 |
Sources
More for Port Macquarie-Hastings
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Port Macquarie-Hastings [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA16380/port-macquarie-hastings/topic/education