49.8% ▲ +33.4%
Lower than 63% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2011: 37.3%
- 2016: 43.0%
- 2021: 49.8%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Penrith · Statistical Area 2 (SA2)
Education & Qualifications in Penrith
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Management and commerce are the most common fields of study in Penrith, where 19.1% of qualified adults specialise in these areas. While the area has seen a steady rise in people finishing school and earning degrees, it still sits well below state and national figures for these milestones.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Fewer people in Penrith have finished Year 12 compared to most areas, sitting well below the national figure at 49.8%. However, this has improved significantly, rising 12 percentage points since 2011.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Penrith, Year 12 is the majority at 56%; Year 10 is next at 25%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
The proportion of adults with a bachelor degree or higher is 19.6%, which is well below the New South Wales figure of 27.8%. This figure has grown by 7.7 percentage points since 2011, with Certificate III and IV being the most common qualification at 28.7%.
19.6% ▲ +64.0%
Lower than 54% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2011: 12.0%
- 2016: 14.8%
- 2021: 19.6%
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 Penrith, the largest group is Certificate III / IV at 38%, followed by Bachelor degree (28%) and Advanced diploma / diploma (18%).
Field of study
What people studied.
Qualifications in Penrith are most frequent in Management and commerce (19.1%), followed by Society and culture (11.8%) and Engineering and related fields (11.5%).
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Local schools have a much higher average advantage score than most areas, though there are fewer schools per 1,000 children. Most of the 4 schools in the area are government-run primary schools.
4
Higher than 57% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Number of schools in the area.
1.49
Lower than 69% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
38
Higher than 79% 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).
1,789
Higher than 58% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
447
Higher than 54% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
1,081
Higher than 77% 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 Penrith
38 schools — 20,818 students, average ICSEA 1,003.
By sector: Government 27 · Catholic 8 · Independent 3
By type: Primary 25 · Secondary 10 · Combined 3
| St Nicholas of Myra Primary School, Penrith | Catholic | Primary | 1.1 km | 169 | 1,068 |
| Penola Catholic College Emu Plains, Emu Plains | Catholic | Secondary | 1.5 km | 709 | 1,024 |
| Penrith Public School, Penrith | Government | Primary | 1.6 km | 524 | 986 |
| Penrith High School, Penrith | Government | Secondary | 1.7 km | 930 | 1,186 |
| Kingswood Park Public School, Penrith | Government | Primary | 1.8 km | 166 | 810 |
| Penrith South Public School, Penrith | Government | Primary | 2.0 km | 441 | 958 |
| Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School, Emu Plains | Government | Secondary | 2.2 km | 807 | 994 |
| St Dominic's College, Kingswood | Independent | Secondary | 2.3 km | 1,010 | 1,008 |
| Penrith Lakes Environmental Education Centre, Castlereagh | Government | Combined | 2.4 km | — | — |
| St Joseph's Primary School, Kingswood | Catholic | Primary | 2.9 km | 310 | 1,019 |
| Cambridge Gardens Public School, Cambridge Park | Government | Primary | 2.9 km | 341 | 965 |
| Jamisontown Public School, South Penrith | Government | Primary | 3.1 km | 317 | 980 |
| Kingswood South Public School, Kingswood | Government | Primary | 3.1 km | 304 | 956 |
| Cambridge Park Public School, Cambridge Park | Government | Primary | 3.1 km | 523 | 926 |
| Braddock Public School, Cranebrook | Government | Primary | 3.1 km | 332 | 880 |
| Jamison High School, South Penrith | Government | Secondary | 3.2 km | 834 | 964 |
| Cranebrook High School, Cranebrook | Government | Secondary | 3.2 km | 871 | 916 |
| York Public School, South Penrith | Government | Primary | 3.4 km | 515 | 973 |
| Emu Plains Public School, Emu Plains | Government | Primary | 3.4 km | 406 | 993 |
| Kingswood High School, Kingswood | Government | Secondary | 3.5 km | 1,005 | 955 |
| Our Lady of The Way Primary School, Emu Plains | Catholic | Primary | 3.5 km | 328 | 1,047 |
| Montgrove College, Orchard Hills | Independent | Combined | 3.8 km | 675 | 1,106 |
| Cambridge Park High School, Cambridge Park | Government | Secondary | 3.8 km | 633 | 916 |
| Kingswood Public School, Kingswood | Government | Primary | 3.8 km | 499 | 1,048 |
| St Mary MacKillop Primary School, South Penrith | Catholic | Primary | 3.8 km | 398 | 1,040 |
| Samuel Terry Public School, Cranebrook | Government | Primary | 4.0 km | 521 | 980 |
| Regentville Public School, Regentville | Government | Primary | 4.1 km | 523 | 1,003 |
| Jordan Springs Public School, Jordan Springs | Government | Primary | 4.1 km | 1,119 | 1,017 |
| Glenmore Park Public School, Glenmore Park | Government | Primary | 4.2 km | 455 | 994 |
| Leonay Public School, Emu Plains | Government | Primary | 4.4 km | 191 | 1,049 |
| Penrith Christian School, Orchard Hills | Independent | Combined | 4.5 km | 744 | 1,047 |
| Surveyors Creek Public School, Glenmore Park | Government | Primary | 4.5 km | 424 | 1,007 |
| Corpus Christi Primary School, Cranebrook | Catholic | Primary | 4.5 km | 518 | 1,025 |
| Caroline Chisholm College, Glenmore Park | Catholic | Secondary | 4.7 km | 1,011 | 1,054 |
| Orchard Hills Public School, Orchard Hills | Government | Primary | 4.8 km | 242 | 995 |
| Werrington Public School, Werrington | Government | Primary | 4.9 km | 519 | 963 |
| Werrington County Public School, Werrington | Government | Primary | 5.1 km | 319 | 961 |
| Xavier College, Llandilo | Catholic | Secondary | 5.2 km | 1,185 | 1,025 |
Sources
More for Penrith
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Penrith [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa2/124031464/penrith/topic/education