47.9% ▲ +20.7%
Higher than 68% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 39.7%
- 2016: 42.9%
- 2021: 47.9%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Greater Bendigo · Council (LGA)
Education & Qualifications in Greater Bendigo
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
More than 20,000 students are enrolled across 51 schools in Greater Bendigo, making it one of the largest educational hubs in the region. While the area has seen a steady rise in both high school completions and university degrees since 2011, it still sits well below state and national figures for higher education.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Fewer than half of residents, 47.9%, have completed Year 12, which is far below the Victorian average. However, this figure has risen by 8.2 percentage points since 2011.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Greater Bendigo, Year 12 is the majority at 52%; Year 10 is next at 19%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
About 19.7% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, a figure that is much higher than most similar areas but still well below the national average. Certificate III or IV qualifications are the most common, held by 33.1% of residents.
19.7% ▲ +39.7%
Higher than 74% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 14.1%
- 2016: 16.3%
- 2021: 19.7%
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 Greater Bendigo, the largest group is Certificate III / IV at 40%, followed by Bachelor degree (26%) and Advanced diploma / diploma (18%).
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common fields of study for those with qualifications are health (14.4%), management and commerce (13.5%), and engineering (13.0%).
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Greater Bendigo has some of the largest schools in the region, with an average size of 401 students. Most of these 51 schools are government-run (68.6%) and the majority are primary schools.
51
Higher than 86% of council (lga) areas.
Number of schools in the area.
2.24
Lower than 73% of council (lga) areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
20,439
Higher than 86% of council (lga) areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
401
Higher than 73% of council (lga) areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
1,015
Higher than 73% of council (lga) areas.
Enrolment-weighted average ICSEA — an index of socio-educational advantage, centred near 1000 (context, not a quality ranking).
Schools serving Greater Bendigo
51 schools — 20,439 students, average ICSEA 1,015.
By sector: Government 35 · Catholic 13 · Independent 3
By type: Primary 38 · Secondary 7 · Combined 6
| Bendigo Senior Secondary College, Bendigo | Government | Secondary | — | 1,918 | 1,003 |
| Catherine McAuley College, Bendigo | Catholic | Secondary | — | 1,567 | 1,055 |
| Marist College Bendigo, Maiden Gully | Catholic | Combined | — | 1,203 | 1,040 |
| Girton Grammar School, Bendigo | Independent | Combined | — | 1,195 | 1,148 |
| Bendigo South East 7-10 Secondary College, Bendigo | Government | Secondary | — | 1,030 | 1,016 |
| Crusoe 7-10 Secondary College, Kangaroo Flat | Government | Secondary | — | 925 | 966 |
| Victory Christian College, Strathdale | Independent | Combined | — | 900 | 1,077 |
| Weeroona College Bendigo, Bendigo | Government | Secondary | — | 812 | 940 |
| St Francis of the Fields School, Strathfieldsaye | Catholic | Primary | — | 614 | 1,093 |
| White Hills Primary School, White Hills | Government | Primary | — | 586 | 977 |
| Kennington Primary School, Kennington | Government | Primary | — | 581 | 979 |
| Eaglehawk Secondary College, Eaglehawk | Government | Secondary | — | 561 | 922 |
| Maiden Gully Primary School, Maiden Gully | Government | Primary | — | 551 | 1,009 |
| Strathfieldsaye Primary School, Strathfieldsaye | Government | Primary | — | 538 | 1,038 |
| St Therese's School, Kennington | Catholic | Primary | — | 460 | 1,076 |
| Creek Street Christian College, Bendigo | Independent | Combined | — | 457 | 1,063 |
| Spring Gully Primary School, Bendigo | Government | Primary | — | 426 | 1,056 |
| Epsom Primary School, Epsom | Government | Primary | — | 425 | 967 |
| Huntly Primary School, Huntly | Government | Primary | — | 324 | 975 |
| Quarry Hill Primary School, Quarry Hill | Government | Primary | — | 324 | 1,037 |
| Kangaroo Flat Primary School, Kangaroo Flat | Government | Primary | — | 313 | 908 |
| Holy Rosary School, White Hills | Catholic | Primary | — | 295 | 1,052 |
| St Monica's School, Kangaroo Flat | Catholic | Primary | — | 284 | 1,032 |
| Eaglehawk North Primary School, Eaglehawk | Government | Primary | — | 269 | 958 |
| St Kilian's School, Bendigo | Catholic | Primary | — | 268 | 1,059 |
| Golden Square Primary School, Golden Square | Government | Primary | — | 262 | 967 |
| St Liborius' School, Eaglehawk | Catholic | Primary | — | 258 | 1,018 |
| Camp Hill Primary School, Bendigo | Government | Primary | — | 251 | 1,040 |
| Marong Primary School, Marong | Government | Primary | — | 235 | 994 |
| Specimen Hill Primary School, Golden Square | Government | Primary | — | 234 | 934 |
| St Joseph's School, Quarry Hill | Catholic | Primary | — | 234 | 1,064 |
| Big Hill Primary School, Big Hill | Government | Primary | — | 221 | 980 |
| Kalianna School, Bendigo | Government | Combined | — | 221 | 895 |
| Bendigo Primary School, Bendigo | Government | Primary | — | 196 | 1,005 |
| California Gully Primary School, California Gully | Government | Primary | — | 181 | 913 |
| Bendigo Special Developmental School, Kangaroo Flat | Government | Combined | — | 167 | 940 |
| Lightning Reef Primary School, Bendigo | Government | Primary | — | 165 | 858 |
| Eaglehawk Primary School, Eaglehawk | Government | Primary | — | 159 | 869 |
| Heathcote Primary School, Heathcote | Government | Primary | — | 150 | 961 |
| St Peter's School, North Bendigo | Catholic | Primary | — | 132 | 979 |
| Axedale Primary School, Axedale | Government | Primary | — | 101 | 1,018 |
| Lockwood Primary School, Lockwood | Government | Primary | — | 99 | 989 |
| Holy Rosary School, Heathcote | Catholic | Primary | — | 82 | 1,004 |
| Eppalock Primary School, Axe Creek | Government | Primary | — | 49 | 1,043 |
| DOXA School Bendigo, Bendigo | Catholic | Secondary | — | 47 | 961 |
| Goornong Primary School, Goornong | Government | Primary | — | 46 | 995 |
| Lockwood South Primary School, Lockwood South | Government | Primary | — | 38 | 1,020 |
| Elmore Primary School, Elmore | Government | Primary | — | 30 | 959 |
| Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Primary, Elmore | Catholic | Primary | — | 26 | 1,010 |
| Raywood Primary School, Raywood | Government | Primary | — | 17 | 945 |
| Redesdale Mia Mia Primary School, Redesdale | Government | Primary | — | 12 | 981 |
Sources
More for Greater Bendigo
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Greater Bendigo [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA22620/greater-bendigo/topic/education