43.3% ▲ +15.3%
Lower than 75% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2011: 37.6%
- 2016: 40.7%
- 2021: 43.3%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Atherton · Statistical Area 2 (SA2)
Education & Qualifications in Atherton
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Fewer residents in Atherton have finished high school or university compared to most of the country. While 43.3% of people completed Year 12, this figure is far below the national average. Despite this, education levels are slowly improving, with more people finishing school and earning degrees than a decade ago.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Only 43.3% of people finished Year 12, which is much lower than most areas and far below the Australian figure of 58.8%. However, this has risen by 5.8 points since 2011.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Atherton, the largest group is Year 12 at 49%, followed by Year 10 (30%) and Year 9 or below (13%).
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
University qualifications are uncommon here, with only 13.4% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is well below the Queensland figure of 21.9%, though the number of degrees has risen slightly since 2011.
13.4% ▲ +23.7%
Lower than 75% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2011: 10.8%
- 2016: 11.9%
- 2021: 13.4%
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 Atherton, the largest group is Certificate III / IV at 47%, followed by Bachelor degree (22%) and Advanced diploma / diploma (18%).
Field of study
What people studied.
Among those with qualifications, the most common fields of study are engineering and related fields at 15.5%, followed by management and commerce at 12.6%.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Atherton has six schools, which is more than about 80% of similar areas. While these schools are around the middle for size, they have a lower advantage score than most other areas.
6
Higher than 71% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Number of schools in the area.
3.02
Higher than 69% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
7
Lower than 86% 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).
2,563
Higher than 73% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
427
Higher than 51% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
982
Lower than 66% 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 Atherton
7 schools — 2,662 students, average ICSEA 981.
By sector: Government 5 · Catholic 1 · Independent 1
By type: Primary 5 · Secondary 1 · Combined 1
| Tolga State School, Tolga | Government | Primary | 2.3 km | 269 | 981 |
| Atherton State School, Atherton | Government | Primary | 6.3 km | 331 | 903 |
| Atherton State High School, Atherton | Government | Secondary | 6.3 km | 781 | 963 |
| St Joseph's School, Atherton | Catholic | Primary | 6.6 km | 287 | 1,022 |
| Jubilee Christian College, Atherton | Independent | Combined | 7.6 km | 850 | 1,017 |
| Kairi State School, Kairi | Government | Primary | 8.9 km | 99 | 940 |
| Walkamin State School, Walkamin | Government | Primary | 9.6 km | 45 | 1,000 |
Sources
More for Atherton
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Atherton [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa2/306051166/atherton/topic/education