37.7% ▲ +27.9%
Lower than 87% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2011: 29.5%
- 2016: 32.8%
- 2021: 37.7%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Parkes · Statistical Area 2 (SA2)
Education & Qualifications in Parkes
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Far fewer people in Parkes have finished high school or university compared to the rest of the state. Only 37.7% of residents completed Year 12, which is 21 points lower than the New South Wales figure. While these numbers are much lower than most areas, the proportion of people finishing school has risen since 2011.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Year 12 completion sits at 37.7%, a figure far below the national average of 58.8%. This is a significant gap, although the rate rose by 8.2 points between 2011 and 2021.
Highest year of school
View on map →Parkes splits fairly evenly between Year 12 (41%) and Year 10 (36%), with Year 9 or below at 15%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
Only 11.6% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, which is far below the New South Wales figure of 27.8%. The most common qualification here is a Certificate III or IV, held by 41.2% of residents.
11.6% ▲ +38.7%
Lower than 82% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2011: 8.4%
- 2016: 9.6%
- 2021: 11.6%
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 Parkes, Certificate III / IV is the majority at 53%; Bachelor degree is next at 20%.
Field of study
What people studied.
Engineering and related fields are the most common qualifications at 18.2%, followed by management and commerce at 16.9%. Other common areas of study include society and culture, education, and health.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Parkes has six schools, which is more than about 80% of similar areas. However, the average school advantage score is much lower than most areas and typical school sizes are smaller than usual.
6
Higher than 71% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Number of schools in the area.
2.67
Higher than 63% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
6
Lower than 88% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Schools serving the area — within 3 km of small areas, or inside larger ones. A measure of access (catchments overlap, so don't add it across areas).
1,857
Higher than 59% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
310
Lower than 66% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
937
Lower than 86% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Enrolment-weighted average ICSEA — an index of socio-educational advantage, centred near 1000 (context, not a quality ranking).
Schools serving Parkes
6 schools — 1,857 students, average ICSEA 937.
By sector: Government 4 · Catholic 1 · Independent 1
By type: Primary 4 · Secondary 1 · Combined 1
| Middleton Public School, Parkes | Government | Primary | 4.0 km | 173 | 891 |
| Parkes High School, Parkes | Government | Secondary | 4.9 km | 467 | 894 |
| Parkes East Public School, Parkes | Government | Primary | 5.2 km | 281 | 949 |
| Holy Family Parish School, Parkes | Catholic | Primary | 5.6 km | 171 | 988 |
| Parkes Public School, Parkes | Government | Primary | 5.6 km | 363 | 896 |
| Parkes Christian School, Parkes | Independent | Combined | 7.4 km | 402 | 1,014 |
Sources
More for Parkes
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Parkes [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa2/103021067/parkes/topic/education