64.5% —
Higher than 66% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2016: 61.3%
- 2021: 64.5%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Wollongong - West · Statistical Area 2 (SA2)
Education & Qualifications in Wollongong - West
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
A bachelor degree or higher is held by 32.5% of adults in Wollongong - West, a figure well above the national average. This highly qualified profile is matched by strong school completion rates, creating a local population that is more educated than most similar areas.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
More than six out of ten people here finished Year 12, which is well above the New South Wales figure of 58.9%. This rate has risen by 3.2 percentage points since 2016.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Wollongong - West, Year 12 is the majority at 69%; Year 10 is next at 17%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
The proportion of adults with a bachelor degree or higher rose by 5.7 percentage points since 2016. At 32.5%, this is well above the Australian average of 26.3%.
32.5% —
Higher than 73% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2016: 26.8%
- 2021: 32.5%
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 Wollongong - West, the largest group is Bachelor degree at 36%, followed by Certificate III / IV (26%) and Postgraduate degree (17%).
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common qualifications are in management and commerce at 17.2%, followed by engineering at 15% and society and culture at 12.5%.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Wollongong - West is home to 8 schools, and there are 37 schools within 3km, which is more than about 79% of similar areas. These schools have an average advantage score of 1,095, which is much higher than most areas.
8
Higher than 87% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Number of schools in the area.
3.35
Higher than 73% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
37
Higher than 78% 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).
2,494
Higher than 72% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
356
Lower than 60% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
1,095
Higher than 81% 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 Wollongong - West
37 schools — 14,149 students, average ICSEA 1,070.
By sector: Government 25 · Independent 8 · Catholic 4
By type: Primary 23 · Secondary 9 · Combined 5
| St Therese Catholic Primary School, Mangerton | Catholic | Primary | 0.5 km | 368 | 1,090 |
| The Illawarra Grammar School, Wollongong West | Independent | Combined | 0.5 km | 970 | 1,159 |
| Wollongong West Public School, Wollongong | Government | Primary | 0.5 km | 243 | 991 |
| Illawarra Hospital School, Wollongong | Government | Combined | 0.8 km | — | — |
| Novo Education Space, Wollongong | Independent | Secondary | 1.1 km | 44 | 983 |
| Gwynneville Public School, Gwynneville | Government | Primary | 1.2 km | 271 | 1,065 |
| Mount St Thomas Public School, Wollongong | Government | Primary | 1.2 km | 354 | 1,070 |
| St Brigid's Catholic Primary School, Gwynneville | Catholic | Primary | 1.3 km | 175 | 1,083 |
| Lindsay Park Public School, Wollongong | Government | Primary | 1.4 km | 334 | 1,068 |
| Edmund Rice College, West Wollongong | Independent | Secondary | 1.5 km | 1,054 | 1,083 |
| Keiraville Public School, Keiraville | Government | Primary | 1.5 km | 297 | 1,103 |
| Coniston Public School, Coniston | Government | Primary | 1.6 km | 181 | 990 |
| Wollongong Public School, Wollongong | Government | Primary | 1.9 km | 579 | 1,084 |
| Figtree Heights Public School, Figtree | Government | Primary | 2.0 km | 181 | 1,061 |
| Smiths Hill High School, Wollongong | Government | Secondary | 2.0 km | 736 | 1,186 |
| Para Meadows School, North Wollongong | Government | Combined | 2.1 km | 113 | 945 |
| Figtree High School, Figtree | Government | Secondary | 2.3 km | 880 | 1,013 |
| St Mary Star of the Sea College, Wollongong | Independent | Secondary | 2.4 km | 1,128 | 1,104 |
| Figtree Public School, Figtree | Government | Primary | 2.5 km | 264 | 1,028 |
| Mount Keira Public School, Mount Keira | Government | Primary | 2.5 km | 91 | 1,072 |
| Keira High School, Fairy Meadow | Government | Secondary | 2.6 km | 723 | 984 |
| Nareena Hills Public School, Figtree | Government | Primary | 2.6 km | 209 | 1,080 |
| Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts, Fairy Meadow | Government | Secondary | 2.7 km | 1,169 | 1,075 |
| Elonera Montessori School, Mount Ousley | Independent | Combined | 2.9 km | 187 | 1,108 |
| Mount Ousley Public School, Fairy Meadow | Government | Primary | 3.3 km | 193 | 1,079 |
| Pleasant Heights Public School, Mount Pleasant | Government | Primary | 3.5 km | 241 | 1,126 |
| Good Samaritan Catholic Primary School, Fairy Meadow | Catholic | Primary | 3.5 km | 335 | 1,081 |
| St Pius X Catholic Primary School, Unanderra | Catholic | Primary | 4.2 km | 371 | 1,066 |
| Unanderra Public School, Cordeaux Heights | Government | Primary | 4.3 km | 348 | 992 |
| Fairy Meadow Public School, Fairy Meadow | Government | Primary | 4.4 km | 342 | 1,002 |
| Balgownie Public School, Balgownie | Government | Primary | 4.5 km | 329 | 1,076 |
| Illawarra Christian School, Cordeaux Heights | Independent | Combined | 4.6 km | 800 | 1,091 |
| Craig Davis College, Cordeaux Heights | Independent | Secondary | 4.7 km | 45 | 825 |
| Towradgi Public School, Fairy Meadow | Government | Primary | 4.8 km | 134 | 1,031 |
| Cringila Public School, Cringila | Government | Primary | 5.0 km | 163 | 936 |
| Wollongong Flexible School, Towradgi | Independent | Secondary | 5.2 km | 71 | 895 |
| Farmborough Road Public School, Unanderra | Government | Primary | 5.3 km | 226 | 961 |
Sources
More for Wollongong - West
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Wollongong - West [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa2/107041549/wollongong-west/topic/education