39.8% —
Lower than 83% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2016: 33.5%
- 2021: 39.8%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Colac · Statistical Area 2 (SA2)
Education & Qualifications in Colac
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Far fewer people in Colac have completed high school or university compared to most similar areas. While 39.8% of residents have finished Year 12, this figure is far below the Victorian average. However, education levels are improving, with both high school and degree completion rates rising since 2016.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Only 39.8% of people here finished Year 12, which is far below the national figure of 58.8%. This is a low rate compared to most areas, though it has risen by 6.3 percentage points since 2016.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Colac, the largest group is Year 12 at 43%, followed by Year 10 (21%) and Year 9 or below (19%).
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
Only 11.4% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, a figure far below the Victorian average of 29.2%. Instead, the most common qualification is a Certificate III or IV, held by 41.2% of residents.
11.4% —
Lower than 83% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2016: 9.2%
- 2021: 11.4%
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 Colac, Certificate III / IV is the majority at 51%; Bachelor degree is next at 20%.
Field of study
What people studied.
People with qualifications in Colac most often studied engineering and related fields (13.5%) or society and culture (13.3%). Other common fields include management and commerce at 12.7% and health at 10.8%.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Colac has 9 schools, which is among the highest number of schools for an area of this size. There are 4.15 schools per 1,000 children, a figure much higher than most areas, with two-thirds of these being government schools.
9
Higher than 88% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Number of schools in the area.
4.15
Higher than 80% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
9
Lower 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).
2,550
Higher than 72% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
283
Lower than 70% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
991
Lower than 61% 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 Colac
9 schools — 2,550 students, average ICSEA 991.
By sector: Government 6 · Catholic 3
By type: Primary 6 · Secondary 2 · Combined 1
| Elliminyt Primary School, Elliminyt | Government | Primary | 0.7 km | 229 | 996 |
| Sacred Heart School, Elliminyt | Catholic | Primary | 0.7 km | 398 | 1,025 |
| Trinity College Colac, Colac | Catholic | Secondary | 0.9 km | 744 | 1,015 |
| Colac Secondary College, Colac | Government | Secondary | 1.5 km | 476 | 955 |
| Colac South West Primary School, Colac | Government | Primary | 1.8 km | 129 | 948 |
| Colac West Primary School, Colac | Government | Primary | 2.6 km | 62 | 899 |
| Lake Colac School, Colac | Government | Combined | 2.7 km | 82 | 933 |
| St Mary's School, Colac | Catholic | Primary | 2.8 km | 266 | 1,025 |
| Colac Primary School, Colac | Government | Primary | 3.1 km | 164 | 946 |
Sources
More for Colac
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Colac [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa2/217031472/colac/topic/education