45.6% ▲ +23.3%
Lower than 65% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
- 2011: 37.0%
- 2016: 39.3%
- 2021: 45.6%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Alice Springs · Sub-region (SA3)
Education & Qualifications in Alice Springs
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
A growing number of residents in Alice Springs have finished their studies, with the share of people finishing Year 12 rising 8.6 percentage points since 2011. While the town has more schools per child than most similar areas, the overall level of school completion remains far below the national figure.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Only 45.6% of people finished Year 12, which is well below the Northern Territory average of 49.8% and far below the Australian figure. The most common highest year of school is Year 12, though 17.1% of residents finished Year 9 or below.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Alice Springs, Year 12 is the majority at 51%; Year 9 or below is next at 19%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
About 21.4% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, a figure that is about the same as the rest of the Territory but well below the national average. This is an improvement on 2011, when the figure was 15.4%.
21.4% ▲ +39.4%
Higher than 57% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
- 2011: 15.4%
- 2016: 17.0%
- 2021: 21.4%
Share of people aged 15+ whose highest qualification is a bachelor degree or above (incl. graduate and postgraduate).
Highest qualification level
View on map →Alice Springs splits fairly evenly between Certificate III / IV (33%) and Bachelor degree (31%), with Advanced diploma / diploma at 15%.
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common areas of study for qualified residents are management and commerce at 14.1%, followed closely by society and culture at 13.8% and health at 13.7%.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Alice Springs has 46 schools, which is more than most similar areas, though the average school size is among the lowest. Most students attend government schools (78.3%), and nearly 70% of the schools are combined primary and secondary types.
46
Higher than 83% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Number of schools in the area.
5.90
Higher than 91% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
6,230
Lower than 74% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
135
Lower than 93% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
855
Lower than 95% 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 Alice Springs
46 schools — 6,230 students, average ICSEA 855.
By sector: Government 36 · Independent 7 · Catholic 3
By type: Combined 32 · Primary 8 · Secondary 6
| Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic College, Alice Springs | Catholic | Combined | — | 823 | 1,028 |
| St Philip's College, Alice Springs | Independent | Secondary | — | 502 | 1,031 |
| Ross Park Primary School, Alice Springs | Government | Primary | — | 413 | 1,040 |
| Bradshaw Primary School, Gillen | Government | Primary | — | 381 | 918 |
| Centralian Senior College, Alice Springs | Government | Secondary | — | 351 | 879 |
| Centralian Middle School, Alice Springs | Government | Secondary | — | 338 | 816 |
| Larapinta Primary School, Alice Springs | Government | Primary | — | 285 | 909 |
| Gillen Primary School, Gillen | Government | Primary | — | 230 | 807 |
| Braitling Primary School, Braitling | Government | Primary | — | 218 | 911 |
| Yirara College, Alice Springs | Independent | Secondary | — | 190 | 654 |
| Yipirinya School, Alice Springs | Independent | Combined | — | 186 | 729 |
| Arlparra School, Utopia | Government | Combined | — | 165 | 595 |
| Alice Springs Steiner School, Ross | Independent | Combined | — | 162 | 1,085 |
| Yuendumu School, Yuendumu | Government | Combined | — | 157 | 632 |
| Ntaria School, Hermannsburg | Government | Combined | — | 155 | 613 |
| Living Waters Lutheran School, Alice Springs | Independent | Primary | — | 131 | 1,029 |
| Sadadeen Primary School, Alice Springs | Government | Primary | — | 118 | 793 |
| Ltyentye Apurte Catholic School, Santa Teresa | Catholic | Combined | — | 111 | 622 |
| Araluen Christian College, Alice Springs | Independent | Combined | — | 104 | 997 |
| Acacia Hill School, Sadadeen | Government | Combined | — | 96 | 789 |
| Ampilatwatja School, Ampilatwatja | Government | Combined | — | 92 | 616 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Flexible School, Alice Springs | Catholic | Secondary | — | 82 | — |
| Alice Springs School Of The Air, Alice Springs | Government | Combined | — | 77 | 1,025 |
| Mount Allan School, Yuelamu | Government | Combined | — | 73 | 622 |
| Papunya School, Papunya | Government | Combined | — | 71 | 582 |
| Nyangatjatjara College, Yulara | Independent | Secondary | — | 64 | 656 |
| Willowra School, Willowra | Government | Combined | — | 59 | 600 |
| Harts Range School, Atitjere | Government | Combined | — | 56 | 638 |
| Ti Tree School, Ti Tree | Government | Combined | — | 54 | 641 |
| Yulara School, Yulara | Government | Combined | — | 50 | 997 |
| Walungurru School, Kintore | Government | Combined | — | 48 | 513 |
| Laramba School, Laramba | Government | Combined | — | 46 | 561 |
| Mutitjulu School, Mutitjulu | Government | Combined | — | 43 | 647 |
| Watiyawanu School, Mount Liebig | Government | Combined | — | 40 | 528 |
| Finke School, Finke | Government | Combined | — | 39 | 678 |
| Titjikala School, Titjikala | Government | Combined | — | 37 | 698 |
| Alcoota School, Engawala | Government | Combined | — | 33 | 610 |
| Nyirripi School, Nyirripi | Government | Combined | — | 31 | 571 |
| Areyonga School, Areyonga | Government | Combined | — | 29 | 586 |
| Amoonguna School, Amoonguna | Government | Primary | — | 18 | 610 |
| Mulga Bore School, Ti Tree | Government | Combined | — | 17 | 599 |
| Haasts Bluff School, Haasts Bluff | Government | Combined | — | 15 | 625 |
| Mbunghara School, Papunya | Government | Combined | — | 14 | 654 |
| Stirling School, Wilora | Government | Combined | — | 12 | 662 |
| Bonya School, Anatye | Government | Combined | — | 7 | 579 |
| Wallace Rockhole School, Wallace Rockhole | Government | Combined | — | 7 | 623 |
Sources
More for Alice Springs
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Alice Springs [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa3/70201/alice-springs/topic/education