40.1% ▲ +23.0%
Lower than 56% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 32.6%
- 2016: 35.2%
- 2021: 40.1%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Port Stephens · Council (LGA)
Education & Qualifications in Port Stephens
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Certificate III or IV qualifications are the most common achievement for adults in Port Stephens, where 39.6% of people hold these credentials. While university degrees and high school completion rates have both risen since 2011, they remain well below state and national figures.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Only 40.1% of residents have finished Year 12, which is far below the New South Wales figure of 58.9%. This is an improvement from 2011, when the completion rate was 32.6%.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Port Stephens, the largest group is Year 12 at 43%, followed by Year 10 (36%) and Year 9 or below (14%).
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
The proportion of adults with a bachelor degree or higher is 13.7%, far below the Australian average of 26.3%. This figure has risen slightly by 4.2 percentage points over the last decade.
13.7% ▲ +43.4%
Higher than 56% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 9.6%
- 2016: 11.0%
- 2021: 13.7%
Share of people aged 15+ whose highest qualification is a bachelor degree or above (incl. graduate and postgraduate).
Highest qualification level
View on map →In Port Stephens, the largest group is Certificate III / IV at 49%, followed by Advanced diploma / diploma (20%) and Bachelor degree (20%).
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common fields of qualification for those with degrees or certificates are engineering and related fields at 19.5%, followed by management and commerce at 17.7%.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Port Stephens has 27 schools with 9,612 enrolments, which is more than about 78% of similar areas. However, there are only 2.09 schools per 1,000 children, which is much lower than most areas.
27
Higher than 78% of council (lga) areas.
Number of schools in the area.
2.09
Lower than 77% of council (lga) areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
9,612
Higher than 76% of council (lga) areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
356
Higher than 68% of council (lga) areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
970
Lower than 51% 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 Stephens
27 schools — 9,612 students, average ICSEA 970.
By sector: Government 21 · Catholic 3 · Independent 3
By type: Primary 21 · Secondary 4 · Combined 2
| Tomaree High School, Salamander Bay | Government | Secondary | — | 986 | 970 |
| Catherine McAuley Catholic College, Medowie | Catholic | Secondary | — | 884 | 1,019 |
| St Philip's Christian College - Port Stephens, Salamander Bay | Independent | Combined | — | 821 | 1,072 |
| Irrawang High School, Raymond Terrace | Government | Secondary | — | 810 | 916 |
| Hunter River High School, Heatherbrae | Government | Secondary | — | 762 | 899 |
| Medowie Christian School, Medowie | Independent | Combined | — | 554 | 1,038 |
| Wirreanda Public School, Medowie | Government | Primary | — | 530 | 988 |
| Medowie Public School, Medowie | Government | Primary | — | 382 | 994 |
| St Brigid's Primary School, Raymond Terrace | Catholic | Primary | — | 377 | 1,012 |
| Tanilba Bay Public School, Tanilba Bay | Government | Primary | — | 354 | 901 |
| Raymond Terrace Public School, Raymond Terrace | Government | Primary | — | 322 | 864 |
| Tomaree Public School, Salamander Bay | Government | Primary | — | 310 | 981 |
| Anna Bay Public School, Anna Bay | Government | Primary | — | 309 | 962 |
| Irrawang Public School, Raymond Terrace | Government | Primary | — | 304 | 863 |
| St Michael's Primary School, Nelson Bay | Catholic | Primary | — | 269 | 1,040 |
| Soldiers Point Public School, Soldiers Point | Government | Primary | — | 267 | 992 |
| Grahamstown Public School, Raymond Terrace | Government | Primary | — | 253 | 912 |
| Shoal Bay Public School, Shoal Bay | Government | Primary | — | 237 | 962 |
| Fern Bay Public School, Fern Bay | Government | Primary | — | 182 | 1,002 |
| Karuah Public School, Karuah | Government | Primary | — | 157 | 875 |
| Seaham Public School, Seaham | Government | Primary | — | 156 | 990 |
| Salt Ash Public School, Salt Ash | Government | Primary | — | 142 | 904 |
| Hinton Public School, Hinton | Government | Primary | — | 99 | 1,009 |
| Iona Public School, Woodville | Government | Primary | — | 47 | 992 |
| Mount Kanwary Public School, Osterley | Government | Primary | — | 38 | 888 |
| Bobs Farm Public School, Bobs Farm | Government | Primary | — | 30 | 979 |
| St Philip's Christian College Gilibaa, Salamander Bay | Independent | Primary | — | 30 | 763 |
Sources
More for Port Stephens
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Port Stephens [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA16400/port-stephens/topic/education