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Kempsey - Nambucca · Sub-region (SA3)

Education & Qualifications in Kempsey - Nambucca

How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.

Far fewer people have finished high school or university in Kempsey - Nambucca compared to most similar areas. Only 33.5% of residents completed Year 12, which is far below the New South Wales figure of 58.9%. While these numbers are low, there has been a steady increase in both school and university completions since 2011.

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📍 Kempsey - Nambucca, Sub-region (SA3)

Where Kempsey - Nambucca sits — Adults with a bachelor degree or higher

11.3% ▲ +40.0%

All sub-region (sa3) areas, 2021. The marker is Kempsey - Nambucca — lower than 86% of areas.

Kempsey - Nambucca11.3%
Rest of NSW 17.8%
New South Wales 27.8%
Australia 26.3%

Schooling

Highest year of school completed.

Just 33.5% of people here finished Year 12, a figure far below the national average of 58.8%. This is among the lowest levels for this area type, though the rate rose by 7.4 percentage points since 2011.

Completed Year 12

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33.5% ▲ +28.1%

Lower than 94% of sub-region (sa3) areas.

Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.

Highest year of school

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Kempsey - Nambucca splits fairly evenly between Year 12 (38%) and Year 10 (37%), with Year 9 or below at 18%.

Year 12 33.5% Year 10 32.6% Year 9 or below 16.1% Year 11 6.5%

Qualifications

Post-school qualifications and degrees.

Only 11.3% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, which is much lower than most areas and far below the New South Wales figure of 27.8%. The most common high-level qualification is a Certificate III or IV, held by 37.6% of residents.

Adults with a bachelor degree or higher

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11.3% ▲ +40.0%

Lower than 86% of sub-region (sa3) areas.

Share of people aged 15+ whose highest qualification is a bachelor degree or above (incl. graduate and postgraduate).

Field of study

What people studied.

The most common fields of study for those with qualifications are Engineering and related subjects at 13.6%, followed closely by Management and commerce at 13.3%.

Schools

Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).

Kempsey - Nambucca has 33 schools, which is more than about 65% of similar areas, though the typical school is much smaller with 211 students. Most students attend government schools, which make up 75.8% of the sector.

Average school ICSEA

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919

Lower than 89% of sub-region (sa3) areas.

Enrolment-weighted average ICSEA — an index of socio-educational advantage, centred near 1000 (context, not a quality ranking).

Schools in and around Kempsey - Nambucca — hover a marker for details. Open the full map →

Schools serving Kempsey - Nambucca

33 schools — 6,974 students, average ICSEA 919.

By sector: Government 25 · Catholic 4 · Independent 4

By type: Primary 24 · Secondary 6 · Combined 3
St Paul's College, West Kempsey Catholic Secondary — 641 999
Kempsey High School, Kempsey Government Secondary — 584 848
Nambucca Valley Christian Community School, Nambucca Heads Independent Combined — 555 1,042
Kempsey Adventist School, Kempsey Independent Combined — 458 953
Kempsey West Public School, West Kempsey Government Primary — 422 794
Macksville High School, Macksville Government Secondary — 365 916
Melville High School, Kempsey Government Secondary — 355 849
South West Rocks Public School, South West Rocks Government Primary — 348 952
St Joseph's Primary School, West Kempsey Catholic Primary — 332 991
Nambucca Heads High School, Nambucca Heads Government Secondary — 314 890
Macksville Public School, Macksville Government Primary — 284 925
Aldavilla Public School, Yarravel Government Primary — 263 896
St Patrick's Primary School, Macksville Catholic Primary — 244 1,002
Frank Partridge VC Public School, Nambucca Heads Government Primary — 217 886
Bowraville Central School, Bowraville Government Combined — 207 861
Kempsey East Public School, Kempsey Government Primary — 180 875
Crescent Head Public School, Crescent Head Government Primary — 167 987
Nambucca Heads Public School, Nambucca Heads Government Primary — 156 904
Frederickton Public School, Frederickton Government Primary — 130 890
Kempsey South Public School, Kempsey Government Primary — 129 767
Tallowood Steiner School, Bowraville Independent Primary — 94 989
Macleay Vocational College, South Kempsey Independent Secondary — 88 787
Scotts Head Public School, Scotts Head Government Primary — 73 1,014
Eungai Public School, Eungai Creek Government Primary — 57 926
Smithtown Public School, Smithtown Government Primary — 54 885
Stuarts Point Public School, Stuarts Point Government Primary — 53 848
St Mary's Primary School, Bowraville Catholic Primary — 48 827
Willawarrin Public School, Willawarrin Government Primary — 34 838
Medlow Public School, Medlow Government Primary — 33 978
Kinchela Public School, Kinchela Government Primary — 27 951
Bellbrook Public School, Bellbrook Government Primary — 24 732
Gladstone Public School, Gladstone Government Primary — 19 1,004
Green Hill Public School, West Kempsey Government Primary — 19 712

Sources

  • Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
  • Australian Schools List — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), 2025 (CC BY 4.0).

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Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Kempsey - Nambucca [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa3/10802/kempsey-nambucca/topic/education