38.5% ▲ +22.2%
Lower than 63% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 31.5%
- 2016: 34.3%
- 2021: 38.5%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Upper Hunter Shire · Council (LGA)
Education & Qualifications in Upper Hunter Shire
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Just 38.5% of residents in Upper Hunter Shire have completed Year 12, a figure that is far below the New South Wales and national averages. While more people have finished high school since 2011, the area still has a much lower rate of formal schooling and university degrees than most other regions.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
The gap in high school completion is stark, sitting 20 points lower than the national figure. About 32.6% of residents had Year 10 as their highest year of school.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Upper Hunter Shire, the largest group is Year 12 at 42%, followed by Year 10 (36%) and Year 9 or below (15%).
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
Only 12.0% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, which is far below the 26.3% national average. Trade qualifications are much more common, with 40.8% of people holding a Certificate III or IV.
12.0% ▲ +32.1%
Lower than 56% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 9.1%
- 2016: 10.4%
- 2021: 12.0%
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 Upper Hunter Shire, Certificate III / IV is the majority at 53%; Bachelor degree is next at 21%.
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common fields of study are Engineering and related subjects at 19.4%, followed by Management and commerce at 13.6% and Health at 11.0%.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
There are 13 schools in the shire, with 4.90 schools per 1,000 children, which is higher than most areas. Government schools make up the bulk of the sector at 69.2%.
13
Higher than 60% of council (lga) areas.
Number of schools in the area.
4.90
Higher than 61% of council (lga) areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
2,729
Higher than 56% of council (lga) areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
210
Lower than 53% of council (lga) areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
960
Lower than 58% of council (lga) areas.
Enrolment-weighted average ICSEA — an index of socio-educational advantage, centred near 1000 (context, not a quality ranking).
Schools serving Upper Hunter Shire
13 schools — 2,729 students, average ICSEA 960.
By sector: Government 9 · Catholic 3 · Independent 1
By type: Primary 9 · Combined 2 · Secondary 2
| Scone Grammar School, Scone | Independent | Combined | — | 692 | 1,025 |
| St Joseph's Catholic College, Aberdeen | Catholic | Secondary | — | 685 | 968 |
| Scone Public School, Scone | Government | Primary | — | 400 | 943 |
| Scone High School, Scone | Government | Secondary | — | 316 | 894 |
| Merriwa Central School, Merriwa | Government | Combined | — | 221 | 879 |
| Aberdeen Public School, Aberdeen | Government | Primary | — | 151 | 890 |
| St Mary's Primary School, Scone | Catholic | Primary | — | 138 | 1,002 |
| St Joseph's Primary School, Merriwa | Catholic | Primary | — | 49 | 1,000 |
| Murrurundi Public School, Murrurundi | Government | Primary | — | 36 | 893 |
| Cassilis Public School, Cassilis | Government | Primary | — | 11 | 959 |
| Ellerston Public School, Ellerston | Government | Primary | — | 11 | 935 |
| Blandford Public School, Blandford | Government | Primary | — | 10 | 978 |
| Belltrees Public School, Belltrees | Government | Primary | — | 9 | 927 |
Sources
More for Upper Hunter Shire
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Upper Hunter Shire [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA17620/upper-hunter-shire/topic/education