53.3% ▲ +5.9%
Lower than 56% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2011: 50.3%
- 2016: 54.1%
- 2021: 53.3%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Cairns City · Statistical Area 2 (SA2)
Education & Qualifications in Cairns City
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
A growing number of university-educated adults live and work in Cairns City, where nearly 24% now hold a bachelor degree or higher. While school completion rates trail behind state and national figures, the area serves as a major educational hub with some of the largest schools in the region.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Just over half of residents (53.3%) have finished Year 12, which is well below the national figure of 58.8%. This rate has risen by 3.0 percentage points since 2011.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Cairns City, Year 12 is the majority at 70%; Year 10 is next at 16%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
The proportion of adults with a bachelor degree or higher rose to 23.9% in 2021, a jump of 5.9 percentage points over a decade. This is a little above the Queensland average of 21.9%.
23.9% ▲ +32.5%
Higher than 57% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2011: 18.0%
- 2016: 21.2%
- 2021: 23.9%
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 Cairns City, the largest group is Bachelor degree at 35%, followed by Certificate III / IV (27%) and Advanced diploma / diploma (20%).
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common qualifications held by residents are in management and commerce (14.2%), followed by health (10.6%) and society and culture (10.4%).
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Cairns City is home to six schools, which is more than 80% of similar areas. These schools are among the largest at this level, with a typical size of 716 students and total enrolments of 4,294.
6
Higher than 71% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Number of schools in the area.
4.82
Higher than 86% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
14
Lower than 63% 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).
4,294
Higher than 87% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
716
Higher than 81% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
1,025
Higher than 54% 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 Cairns City
14 schools — 14,432 students, average ICSEA 985.
By sector: Government 8 · Catholic 5 · Independent 1
By type: Primary 8 · Secondary 5 · Combined 1
| Cairns State High School, Cairns North | Government | Secondary | 0.5 km | 1,636 | 1,019 |
| St Monica's College, Cairns | Catholic | Secondary | 0.9 km | 697 | 1,058 |
| The BUSY School, Cairns | Independent | Secondary | 1.5 km | 1,780 | 975 |
| Parramatta State School, Parramatta Park | Government | Primary | 1.6 km | 482 | 887 |
| St Augustine's College, Cairns | Catholic | Secondary | 1.6 km | 777 | 1,060 |
| St Joseph's School, Parramatta Park | Catholic | Primary | 1.7 km | 348 | 1,029 |
| Mother of Good Counsel School, Cairns North | Catholic | Primary | 1.8 km | 354 | 1,091 |
| Trinity Bay State High School, Manunda | Government | Secondary | 2.2 km | 1,784 | 908 |
| Cairns School of Distance Education, Manunda | Government | Combined | 2.3 km | 3,692 | 1,024 |
| Edge Hill State School, Edge Hill | Government | Primary | 2.8 km | 864 | 1,016 |
| Cairns West State School, Manunda | Government | Primary | 3.1 km | 481 | 784 |
| St Francis Xavier's School, Manunda | Catholic | Primary | 3.2 km | 382 | 953 |
| Balaclava State School, Mooroobool | Government | Primary | 3.7 km | 381 | 797 |
| Whitfield State School, Whitfield | Government | Primary | 4.2 km | 774 | 974 |
Sources
More for Cairns City
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Cairns City [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa2/306021145/cairns-city/topic/education