# Education & Qualifications — Sunshine Coast

How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.

Area: Sunshine Coast (Council (LGA))

A gap of nearly 5 percentage points separates the Sunshine Coast from the national figure for bachelor degrees. While 21.5% of adults hold a university degree, this is well below the Australian average despite a steady rise in qualifications since 2016. The region now shows a stronger trend toward higher education than in previous years.

School completion is improving, with 56.4% of people finishing Year 12. This is much higher than most similar areas and rose 6.3 percentage points since 2016, bringing the region's rate close to the Queensland figure.

The proportion of adults with a bachelor degree or higher is 21.5%, which is much higher than most similar areas but still well below the national average. Certificate III or IV is the most common qualification, held by 32% of residents.

The region has 81 schools and 56,572 enrolments, making it one of the largest areas for education. Local schools have an average advantage score of 1,050, which is much higher than most other areas.

The most common fields of study are management and commerce at 17%, followed by engineering and related fields at 13.3% and health at 12.9%.

## Statistics

| Statistic | Value | Change since |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Completed Year 12 | 56.4% | — |
| Adults with a bachelor degree or higher | 21.5% | — |
| Schools | 81 | — |
| Schools per 1,000 children | 1.36 | — |
| School enrolments | 56,572 | — |
| Average school size | 698 | — |
| Average school ICSEA | 1,050 | — |

**Highest year of school** — Year 12 56.4%, Year 10 22.7%, Year 11 7.6%, Year 9 or below 6.9%

**Highest qualification level** — Certificate III / IV 32.0%, Bachelor degree 23.2%, Advanced diploma / diploma 16.8%, Postgraduate degree 6.3%, Graduate diploma / certificate 3.7%, Certificate I / II 2.0%

**Field of qualification** — Management & commerce 17.0%, Engineering & related 13.3%, Health 12.9%, Society & culture 11.6%, Education 9.3%, Architecture & building 7.5%, Food, hospitality & personal services 6.1%, Creative arts 3.5%, Agriculture & environment 2.2%, Natural & physical sciences 2.1%, Information technology 1.6%

## Schools serving Sunshine Coast

81 schools, 56,572 students, average ICSEA 1,050.

By sector: Government 54, Independent 18, Catholic 9

By type: Primary 43, Combined 25, Secondary 13

Nearest 10 shown:

| School | Sector | Type | Distance | Students |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Chancellor State College | Government | Combined | — | 2,609 |
| Kawana Waters State College | Government | Combined | — | 2,495 |
| Mountain Creek State High School | Government | Secondary | — | 2,091 |
| Meridan State College | Government | Combined | — | 1,795 |
| Coolum State High School | Government | Secondary | — | 1,551 |
| Sunshine Coast Grammar School | Independent | Combined | — | 1,472 |
| Nambour State College | Government | Combined | — | 1,469 |
| St Andrew's Anglican College | Independent | Combined | — | 1,459 |
| Unity College | Catholic | Combined | — | 1,450 |
| Matthew Flinders Anglican College | Independent | Combined | — | 1,426 |

Interactive: https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA36720/sunshine-coast/topic/education