35.6% ▲ +20.0%
Lower than 91% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
- 2011: 29.7%
- 2016: 32.2%
- 2021: 35.6%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Upper Hunter · Sub-region (SA3)
Education & Qualifications in Upper Hunter
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Certificate III or IV qualifications are the most common achievement in Upper Hunter, held by 43.1% of adults. This region generally has lower levels of formal schooling and degrees compared to the rest of the country. While more people have finished Year 12 than in 2011, the area still sits far below the national average for higher education.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Only 35.6% of residents have completed Year 12, which is far below the New South Wales figure of 58.9%. This is much lower than most similar areas, although the rate rose 5.9 points since 2011.
Highest year of school
View on map →Upper Hunter splits fairly evenly between Year 12 (39%) and Year 10 (37%), with Year 9 or below at 15%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
Adults with a bachelor degree or higher make up 10.3% of the population, which is among the lowest levels in the country. This figure is far below the Australian average of 26.3%, despite a small increase since 2011.
10.3% ▲ +24.6%
Lower than 91% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
- 2011: 8.3%
- 2016: 9.1%
- 2021: 10.3%
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 Upper Hunter, Certificate III / IV is the majority at 56%; Bachelor degree is next at 18%.
Field of study
What people studied.
Qualifications in the region are most often in engineering and related fields at 22.5%, followed by management and commerce at 14.5%. Health and society and culture are the next most common areas of study.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Upper Hunter has 23 schools and 4,933 enrolments, with a much higher number of schools per 1,000 children than most areas. However, the typical school is much smaller and has a much lower advantage score than most other areas.
23
Lower than 57% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Number of schools in the area.
3.77
Higher than 78% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
4,933
Lower than 81% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
214
Lower than 81% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
931
Lower than 88% 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 Upper Hunter
23 schools — 4,933 students, average ICSEA 931.
By sector: Government 15 · Catholic 5 · Independent 3
By type: Primary 17 · Combined 3 · Secondary 3
| Scone Grammar School, Scone | Independent | Combined | — | 692 | 1,025 |
| St Joseph's Catholic College, Aberdeen | Catholic | Secondary | — | 685 | 968 |
| Muswellbrook High School, Muswellbrook | Government | Secondary | — | 648 | 869 |
| Muswellbrook South Public School, Muswellbrook | Government | Primary | — | 439 | 819 |
| Muswellbrook Public School, Muswellbrook | Government | Primary | — | 422 | 913 |
| Scone Public School, Scone | Government | Primary | — | 400 | 943 |
| St James' Primary School, Muswellbrook | Catholic | Primary | — | 345 | 952 |
| Scone High School, Scone | Government | Secondary | — | 316 | 894 |
| Merriwa Central School, Merriwa | Government | Combined | — | 221 | 879 |
| Aberdeen Public School, Aberdeen | Government | Primary | — | 151 | 890 |
| Denman Public School, Denman | Government | Primary | — | 147 | 949 |
| St Mary's Primary School, Scone | Catholic | Primary | — | 138 | 1,002 |
| Pacific Brook Christian School, Muswellbrook | Independent | Combined | — | 88 | 950 |
| St Joseph's Primary School, Merriwa | Catholic | Primary | — | 49 | 1,000 |
| Richard Gill School, Muswellbrook | Independent | Primary | — | 43 | 996 |
| St Joseph's Primary School, Denman | Catholic | Primary | — | 42 | 1,026 |
| Murrurundi Public School, Murrurundi | Government | Primary | — | 36 | 893 |
| Sandy Hollow Public School, Sandy Hollow | Government | Primary | — | 23 | 814 |
| Cassilis Public School, Cassilis | Government | Primary | — | 11 | 959 |
| Ellerston Public School, Ellerston | Government | Primary | — | 11 | 935 |
| Blandford Public School, Blandford | Government | Primary | — | 10 | 978 |
| Belltrees Public School, Belltrees | Government | Primary | — | 9 | 927 |
| Martindale Public School, Martindale | Government | Primary | — | 7 | 992 |
Sources
More for Upper Hunter
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Upper Hunter [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa3/10604/upper-hunter/topic/education