39.6% ▲ +21.3%
Lower than 82% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
- 2011: 32.7%
- 2016: 35.1%
- 2021: 39.6%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Port Stephens · Sub-region (SA3)
Education & Qualifications in Port Stephens
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Only 39.6% of Port Stephens residents completed Year 12, a figure far below the national average. This gap in secondary school completion is a defining feature of the local education profile, although the number of people finishing high school has risen since 2011.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Completion rates for Year 12 are far below those in New South Wales and Australia, though the figure rose 7 points since 2011. About 33.5% of people stopped after Year 10.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Port Stephens, the largest group is Year 12 at 43%, followed by Year 10 (36%) and Year 9 or below (14%).
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
The proportion of adults with a bachelor degree or higher is 13.5%, which is far below the national figure. While this is lower than most areas, the number of people with these degrees rose 3.9 points over the last decade.
13.5% ▲ +39.7%
Lower than 73% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
- 2011: 9.7%
- 2016: 11.0%
- 2021: 13.5%
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 Port Stephens, the largest group is Certificate III / IV at 49%, followed by Advanced diploma / diploma (20%) and Bachelor degree (20%).
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common qualifications are in Engineering and related fields at 19.4%, followed by Management and commerce at 17.6%.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Port Stephens has 27 schools, with government schools making up 77.8% of the sector. The average school size is 354 students, which is lower than most similar areas.
27
Higher than 51% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Number of schools in the area.
2.16
Higher than 50% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
9,560
Lower than 53% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
354
Lower than 62% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
969
Lower than 75% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Enrolment-weighted average ICSEA — an index of socio-educational advantage, centred near 1000 (context, not a quality ranking).
Schools serving Port Stephens
27 schools — 9,560 students, average ICSEA 969.
By sector: Government 21 · Catholic 3 · Independent 3
By type: Primary 21 · Secondary 4 · Combined 2
| Tomaree High School, Salamander Bay | Government | Secondary | — | 986 | 970 |
| Catherine McAuley Catholic College, Medowie | Catholic | Secondary | — | 884 | 1,019 |
| St Philip's Christian College - Port Stephens, Salamander Bay | Independent | Combined | — | 821 | 1,072 |
| Irrawang High School, Raymond Terrace | Government | Secondary | — | 810 | 916 |
| Hunter River High School, Heatherbrae | Government | Secondary | — | 762 | 899 |
| Medowie Christian School, Medowie | Independent | Combined | — | 554 | 1,038 |
| Wirreanda Public School, Medowie | Government | Primary | — | 530 | 988 |
| Medowie Public School, Medowie | Government | Primary | — | 382 | 994 |
| St Brigid's Primary School, Raymond Terrace | Catholic | Primary | — | 377 | 1,012 |
| Tanilba Bay Public School, Tanilba Bay | Government | Primary | — | 354 | 901 |
| Raymond Terrace Public School, Raymond Terrace | Government | Primary | — | 322 | 864 |
| Tomaree Public School, Salamander Bay | Government | Primary | — | 310 | 981 |
| Anna Bay Public School, Anna Bay | Government | Primary | — | 309 | 962 |
| Irrawang Public School, Raymond Terrace | Government | Primary | — | 304 | 863 |
| St Michael's Primary School, Nelson Bay | Catholic | Primary | — | 269 | 1,040 |
| Soldiers Point Public School, Soldiers Point | Government | Primary | — | 267 | 992 |
| Grahamstown Public School, Raymond Terrace | Government | Primary | — | 253 | 912 |
| Shoal Bay Public School, Shoal Bay | Government | Primary | — | 237 | 962 |
| Karuah Public School, Karuah | Government | Primary | — | 157 | 875 |
| Seaham Public School, Seaham | Government | Primary | — | 156 | 990 |
| Salt Ash Public School, Salt Ash | Government | Primary | — | 142 | 904 |
| Tea Gardens Public School, Tea Gardens | Government | Primary | — | 130 | 934 |
| Hinton Public School, Hinton | Government | Primary | — | 99 | 1,009 |
| Iona Public School, Woodville | Government | Primary | — | 47 | 992 |
| Mount Kanwary Public School, Osterley | Government | Primary | — | 38 | 888 |
| Bobs Farm Public School, Bobs Farm | Government | Primary | — | 30 | 979 |
| St Philip's Christian College Gilibaa, Salamander Bay | Independent | Primary | — | 30 | 763 |
Sources
More for Port Stephens
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Port Stephens [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa3/10603/port-stephens/topic/education