47.7% ▲ +17.0%
Lower than 67% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2011: 40.8%
- 2016: 43.9%
- 2021: 47.7%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Torres Strait Islands · Statistical Area 2 (SA2)
Education & Qualifications in Torres Strait Islands
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
More people in the Torres Strait Islands finished high school in 2021 than in 2011, with the rate rising by 6.9 percentage points to 47.7%. While school completion is improving, the region still faces a significant gap in higher education compared to the rest of the country.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Fewer than half of residents have completed Year 12, a figure that is far below the Australian average of 58.8%. The most common highest year of schooling is Year 12 at 47.7%, followed by Year 10 at 17.1%.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Torres Strait Islands, Year 12 is the majority at 52%; Year 10 is next at 19%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
University qualifications are very rare here, with only 3.9% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is far below the 26.3% national figure and has barely changed since 2011. Most qualified adults hold a Certificate III or IV.
3.9% ▼ -15.2%
Lower than 99% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.
- 2011: 4.5%
- 2016: 3.7%
- 2021: 3.9%
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 Torres Strait Islands, Certificate III / IV is the majority at 60%; Certificate I / II is next at 18%.
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common fields of qualification are management and commerce at 15.7%, followed by engineering and education, which both stand at 11.0%.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
The area is served by just two schools located within 3 km, which is among the smallest number of schools for similar areas.
2
Lower than 96% 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).
Schools serving Torres Strait Islands
2 schools — 1,392 students, average ICSEA 759.
By sector: Government 1 · Catholic 1
By type: Combined 1 · Primary 1
| Tagai State College, Thursday Island | Government | Combined | 120.1 km | 1,261 | 742 |
| Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School Waiben, Thursday Island | Catholic | Primary | 120.7 km | 131 | 918 |
Sources
More for Torres Strait Islands
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Torres Strait Islands [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa2/315011402/torres-strait-islands/topic/education