80.8% ▲ +14.7%
Higher than 99% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 70.4%
- 2016: 74.2%
- 2021: 80.8%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Sydney · Council (LGA)
Education & Qualifications in Sydney
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
More than half of all adults in Sydney hold a university degree, making it one of the most highly educated areas in the country. This strong academic profile is seen across the board, from high school completion rates to a huge variety of professional qualifications. It is a place where advanced learning is a central part of daily life.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
School completion is far above the national figure, with 80.8% of people finishing Year 12. This is 22 points higher than in New South Wales and represents a 10 point increase since 2011.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Sydney, Year 12 is the majority at 88%; Year 10 is next at 6%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
A staggering 52.6% of adults have a bachelor degree or higher, which is far above the Australian average. This figure has risen 12 points over the last decade, with postgraduate degrees now held by 20.4% of the population.
52.6% ▲ +30.8%
Higher than 99% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 40.2%
- 2016: 44.0%
- 2021: 52.6%
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 Sydney, the largest group is Bachelor degree at 49%, followed by Postgraduate degree (24%) and Advanced diploma / diploma (14%).
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common fields of study are management and commerce at 26.6%, followed by society and culture at 15.5% and creative arts at 9.6%.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Sydney has a high number of schools, with 48 institutions serving over 21,000 students. The schools are generally larger than those in most other areas, and 58.3% are government-run.
48
Higher than 86% of council (lga) areas.
Number of schools in the area.
2.99
Lower than 60% of council (lga) areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
21,027
Higher than 86% of council (lga) areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
467
Higher than 79% of council (lga) areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
1,141
Higher than 97% of council (lga) areas.
Enrolment-weighted average ICSEA — an index of socio-educational advantage, centred near 1000 (context, not a quality ranking).
Schools serving Sydney
48 schools — 21,027 students, average ICSEA 1,141.
By sector: Government 28 · Independent 14 · Catholic 6
By type: Primary 23 · Secondary 17 · Combined 8
| Sydney Grammar School, Darlinghurst | Independent | Secondary | — | 1,925 | 1,274 |
| St Andrew's Cathedral School, Sydney | Independent | Combined | — | 1,436 | 1,189 |
| Alexandria Park Community School, Alexandria | Government | Combined | — | 1,313 | 1,052 |
| International Grammar School, Ultimo | Independent | Combined | — | 1,224 | 1,170 |
| Sydney Boys High School, Moore Park | Government | Secondary | — | 1,205 | 1,189 |
| Inner Sydney High School, Surry Hills | Government | Secondary | — | 1,161 | 1,104 |
| Newtown High School of Performing Arts, Newtown | Government | Secondary | — | 1,145 | 1,127 |
| St Scholastica's College Glebe Point, Glebe | Independent | Secondary | — | 1,044 | 1,138 |
| St Mary's Cathedral College, Sydney | Catholic | Combined | — | 937 | 1,125 |
| SCEGGS Darlinghurst, Darlinghurst | Independent | Combined | — | 936 | 1,209 |
| Sydney Girls High School, Surry Hills | Government | Secondary | — | 929 | 1,193 |
| Sydney Secondary College Blackwattle Bay Campus, Glebe | Government | Secondary | — | 798 | 1,094 |
| St Vincent's College, Potts Point | Independent | Secondary | — | 755 | 1,145 |
| Sydney Distance Education High School, Woolloomooloo | Government | Secondary | — | 615 | 1,032 |
| Ultimo Public School, Ultimo | Government | Primary | — | 483 | 1,088 |
| Gardeners Road Public School, Rosebery | Government | Primary | — | 393 | 1,058 |
| Bourke Street Public School, Surry Hills | Government | Primary | — | 381 | 1,135 |
| Erskineville Public School, Erskineville | Government | Primary | — | 334 | 1,155 |
| Forest Lodge Public School, Forest Lodge | Government | Primary | — | 307 | 1,161 |
| Crown Street Public School, Surry Hills | Government | Primary | — | 288 | 1,114 |
| Fort Street Public School, Sydney | Government | Primary | — | 284 | 1,094 |
| Newtown Public School, Newtown | Government | Primary | — | 272 | 1,140 |
| Newtown North Public School, Newtown | Government | Primary | — | 221 | 1,132 |
| Darlinghurst Public School, Potts Point | Government | Primary | — | 210 | 1,156 |
| GOAL College, Ultimo | Independent | Secondary | — | 204 | 1,027 |
| Glebe Public School, Glebe | Government | Primary | — | 193 | 982 |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Erskineville | Catholic | Primary | — | 169 | 1,145 |
| Conservatorium High School, Sydney | Government | Secondary | — | 156 | 1,194 |
| St James Catholic Primary School, Glebe | Catholic | Primary | — | 152 | 1,125 |
| St Francis of Assisi Regional Catholic Primary School, Paddington | Catholic | Primary | — | 151 | 1,167 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Rosebery | Catholic | Primary | — | 150 | 1,112 |
| Darlington Public School, Chippendale | Government | Primary | — | 147 | 1,030 |
| Paddington Public School, Paddington | Government | Primary | — | 147 | 1,155 |
| Central Sydney Intensive English High School, Alexandria | Government | Secondary | — | 142 | 1,037 |
| Australian Performing Arts Grammar School, Glebe | Independent | Secondary | — | 129 | 1,103 |
| Sydney Distance Education Primary School, Surry Hills | Government | Primary | — | 124 | 1,094 |
| Green Square Public School, Zetlands | Government | Primary | — | 107 | 1,122 |
| Macquarie Grammar School, Sydney | Independent | Secondary | — | 84 | 1,027 |
| Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Primary School, Waterloo | Catholic | Primary | — | 76 | 938 |
| Plunkett Street Public School, Woolloomooloo | Government | Primary | — | 73 | 968 |
| Key College, Redfern | Independent | Secondary | — | 70 | 909 |
| Westbourne College Sydney, Ultimo | Independent | Secondary | — | 65 | 1,153 |
| St Andrew's Cathedral Gawura School, Sydney | Independent | Primary | — | 38 | 817 |
| Yudi Gunyi School, Waterloo | Government | Combined | — | 29 | 890 |
| Redfern Jarjum College, Redfern | Independent | Primary | — | 25 | 667 |
| Australian International High School, Sydney | Independent | Secondary | — | — | 1,028 |
| Observatory Hill Environmental Education Centre, The Rocks | Government | Combined | — | — | — |
| Royal Prince Alfred Hospital School, Camperdown | Government | Combined | — | — | — |
Sources
More for Sydney
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Sydney [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA17200/sydney/topic/education