39.5% ▲ +18.6%
Lower than 82% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
- 2011: 33.3%
- 2016: 35.8%
- 2021: 39.5%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Far North · Sub-region (SA3)
Education & Qualifications in Far North
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
A gap of 19 percentage points separates the proportion of people who finished Year 12 in Far North from the national figure. This is a region where formal schooling and higher degrees are much less common than in the rest of the country. While school completion rates have risen since 2011, the area remains far below state and national benchmarks for education.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Only 39.5% of residents have completed Year 12, which is far below the Queensland figure of 57.1%. This result is much lower than most areas, although completion rates did rise by 6.2 points since 2011.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Far North, the largest group is Year 12 at 46%, followed by Year 10 (29%) and Year 9 or below (14%).
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
University degrees are uncommon here, with only 8.8% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is far below the national figure of 26.3%, while the most common qualification is a Certificate III or IV, held by 36% of people.
8.8% ▲ +16.1%
Lower than 99% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
- 2011: 7.6%
- 2016: 7.6%
- 2021: 8.8%
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 Far North, Certificate III / IV is the majority at 53%; Bachelor degree is next at 17%.
Field of study
What people studied.
Among those with qualifications, the most common fields are engineering and related subjects at 14.5%, followed by management and commerce at 10.7% and education at 8.7%.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Far North has more schools per 1,000 children than most areas, though the typical school is much smaller than average. Government schools make up 80% of the sector, with primary schools being the most frequent type.
30
Higher than 56% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Number of schools in the area.
3.93
Higher than 79% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
5,157
Lower than 80% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
172
Lower than 87% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
783
Lower than 99% 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 Far North
30 schools — 5,157 students, average ICSEA 783.
By sector: Government 24 · Catholic 4 · Independent 2
By type: Primary 19 · Combined 10 · Secondary 1
| Tagai State College, Thursday Island | Government | Combined | — | 1,261 | 742 |
| Western Cape College, Rocky Point | Government | Combined | — | 1,010 | 820 |
| Northern Peninsula Area State College, Bamaga | Government | Combined | — | 563 | 681 |
| Cooktown State School, Cooktown | Government | Combined | — | 376 | 838 |
| Aurukun State School, Aurukun | Government | Combined | — | 227 | 694 |
| Endeavour Christian College, Cooktown | Independent | Combined | — | 166 | 991 |
| Kowanyama State School, Kowanyama | Government | Combined | — | 163 | 687 |
| St Joseph's Parish School, Weipa | Catholic | Primary | — | 161 | 949 |
| Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy, Hope Vale | Government | Primary | — | 146 | 707 |
| Lockhart State School, Lockhart River | Government | Combined | — | 141 | 635 |
| Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School Waiben, Thursday Island | Catholic | Primary | — | 131 | 918 |
| Holy Spirit College, Cooktown | Catholic | Secondary | — | 122 | 811 |
| Dimbulah State School, Dimbulah | Government | Combined | — | 121 | 869 |
| Biboohra State School, Biboohra | Government | Primary | — | 72 | 949 |
| Pormpuraaw State School, Pormpuraaw | Government | Primary | — | 68 | 602 |
| Bloomfield River State School, Bloomfield | Government | Primary | — | 67 | 661 |
| Julatten State School, Julatten | Government | Primary | — | 59 | 969 |
| St Anthony's School, Dimbulah | Catholic | Primary | — | 50 | 998 |
| Georgetown State School, Georgetown | Government | Primary | — | 47 | 930 |
| Kluthuthu Christian College, Napranum | Independent | Combined | — | 42 | 634 |
| Mount Molloy State School, Mount Molloy | Government | Primary | — | 37 | 923 |
| Croydon State School, Croydon | Government | Primary | — | 29 | 787 |
| Rossville State School, Rossville | Government | Primary | — | 25 | 893 |
| Laura State School, Laura | Government | Primary | — | 19 | 623 |
| Mount Surprise State School, Mount Surprise | Government | Primary | — | 15 | 862 |
| Lakeland State School, Lakeland | Government | Primary | — | 12 | 949 |
| Chillagoe State School, Chillagoe | Government | Primary | — | 10 | 827 |
| Irvinebank State School, Irvinebank | Government | Primary | — | 10 | 941 |
| Forsayth State School, Forsayth | Government | Primary | — | 4 | — |
| Mutchilba State School, Mutchilba | Government | Primary | — | 3 | — |
Sources
More for Far North
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Far North [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa3/31501/far-north/topic/education