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Ballarat · Region (SA4)

Education & Qualifications in Ballarat

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

Ballarat sits around the middle for its level in most education rankings, though it still trails the state and national figures. While only 49.2% of residents have finished Year 12, this is a significant jump from the 40.1% recorded in 2011. Higher qualifications are also on the rise, with the proportion of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher climbing to 20.9%.

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📍 Ballarat, Region (SA4)

Where Ballarat sits — Adults with a bachelor degree or higher

20.9% ▲ +42.4%

All region (sa4) areas, 2021. The marker is Ballarat — higher than 58% of areas.

Ballarat20.9%
Rest of Vic. 18.2%
Victoria 29.2%
Australia 26.3%

Schooling

Highest year of school completed.

Fewer people in Ballarat have finished Year 12 compared to the national figure of 58.8%, and it is well below Victoria's 61.8%. For those who didn't finish Year 12, the next most common highest school level is Year 10 at 17.2%.

Completed Year 12

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49.2% ▲ +22.5%

Lower than 51% of region (sa4) areas.

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

Highest year of school

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In Ballarat, Year 12 is the majority at 53%; Year 10 is next at 19%.

Year 12 49.2% Year 10 17.2% Year 11 14.2% Year 9 or below 12.1%

Qualifications

Post-school qualifications and degrees.

About one in five adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, which is well below the Victorian figure of 29.2%. The most common qualification in the area is a Certificate III or IV, held by 31.4% of residents.

Adults with a bachelor degree or higher

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20.9% ▲ +42.4%

Higher than 58% of region (sa4) areas.

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

Highest qualification level

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In Ballarat, the largest group is Certificate III / IV at 38%, followed by Bachelor degree (27%) and Advanced diploma / diploma (18%).

Certificate III / IV 31.4% Bachelor degree 22.2% Advanced diploma / diploma 15.1% Postgraduate degree 7.3% Graduate diploma / certificate 5.0% Certificate I / II 2.1%

Field of study

What people studied.

The most common fields of study for those with qualifications are management and commerce at 14%, followed by society and culture at 12.9%. Engineering and health also make up a significant portion of the local workforce's training.

Schools

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

Ballarat has more schools per 1,000 children than most areas, with 95 schools serving 28,337 students. Most of these are government-run (72.6%) and the vast majority are primary schools.

Average school ICSEA

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1,028

Higher than 57% of region (sa4) areas.

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

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

Schools serving Ballarat

95 schools — 28,337 students, average ICSEA 1,028.

By sector: Government 69 · Catholic 20 · Independent 6

By type: Primary 77 · Secondary 11 · Combined 7
Ballarat Grammar, Wendouree Independent Combined — 1,989 1,120
Ballarat Clarendon College, Ballarat Independent Combined — 1,896 1,172
Phoenix P-12 Community College, Sebastopol Government Combined — 1,473 947
Ballarat High School, Lake Gardens Government Secondary — 1,461 1,016
St Patrick's College, Ballarat Catholic Secondary — 1,267 1,055
Damascus College, Mount Clear Catholic Secondary — 1,215 1,052
Mount Clear College, Mount Clear Government Secondary — 982 996
Loreto College, Ballarat Catholic Secondary — 948 1,073
Maryborough Education Centre, Maryborough Government Combined — 921 921
Mount Rowan Secondary College, Wendouree Government Secondary — 678 938
Delacombe Primary School, Delacombe Government Primary — 641 970
Woodmans Hill Secondary College, Ballarat East Government Secondary — 602 988
Buninyong Primary School, Buninyong Government Primary — 567 1,044
Alfredton Primary School, Alfredton Government Primary — 527 1,009
Lucas Primary School, Lucas Government Primary — 527 1,029
St Francis Xavier School, Ballarat East Catholic Primary — 482 1,071
Highview College, Maryborough Independent Secondary — 463 1,005
Ballarat Specialist School, Lake Gardens Government Combined — 453 950
St Thomas More School, Alfredton Catholic Primary — 431 1,087
Daylesford Secondary College, Daylesford Government Secondary — 417 1,007
Ballarat Christian College, Sebastopol Independent Combined — 406 1,058
Black Hill Primary School, Ballarat Government Primary — 397 1,042
Emmaus Catholic Primary School, Mount Clear Catholic Primary — 362 1,088
Miners Rest Primary School, Miners Rest Government Primary — 353 994
Pleasant Street Primary School (Ballarat), Lake Wendouree Government Primary — 350 1,095
Siena Catholic Primary School, Lucas Catholic Primary — 336 1,055
St Columba's School, Ballarat North Catholic Primary — 334 1,090
Ballarat North Primary School, Ballarat Government Primary — 330 1,002
Woady Yaloak Primary School, Smythesdale Government Primary — 326 993
Lumen Christi School, Delacombe Catholic Primary — 324 1,029
Newington Primary School, Ballarat Government Primary — 278 1,007
St Augustine's School, Maryborough Catholic Primary — 266 1,016
St Aloysius' School, Redan Catholic Primary — 254 1,022
St Patrick's School, Ballarat Catholic Primary — 249 1,096
St Alipius' Parish School, Ballarat East Catholic Primary — 248 1,052
Canadian Lead Primary School, Ballarat East Government Primary — 235 952
Forest Street Primary School, Wendouree Government Primary — 232 919
Haddon Primary School, Haddon Government Primary — 232 1,019
Ballan Primary School, Ballan Government Primary — 231 982
Carisbrook Primary School, Carisbrook Government Primary — 228 949
Ballarat Primary School (Dana Street), Ballarat Government Primary — 227 1,069
Mount Clear Primary School, Mount Clear Government Primary — 221 991
Caledonian Primary School, Brown Hill Government Primary — 215 1,010
Yuille Park Community College, Wendouree Government Combined — 209 840
Beaufort Secondary College, Beaufort Government Secondary — 201 968
Daylesford Primary School, Daylesford Government Primary — 192 1,022
St James' School, Sebastopol Catholic Primary — 166 1,034
Creswick Primary School, Creswick Government Primary — 148 1,009
Myrniong Primary School, Myrniong Government Primary — 147 1,008
Gordon Primary School, Gordon Government Primary — 141 1,032
St Brigid's School, Ballan Catholic Primary — 141 1,048
St Augustine's School, Creswick Catholic Primary — 137 1,038
Beaufort Primary School, Beaufort Government Primary — 130 983
Mount Pleasant Primary School, Ballarat Government Primary — 129 972
Wendouree Primary School, Wendouree Government Primary — 116 917
Magpie Primary School, Magpie Government Primary — 103 923
Our Lady Help of Christians School, Wendouree Catholic Primary — 101 1,017
Sebastopol Primary School, Sebastopol Government Primary — 98 901
Clunes Primary School, Clunes Government Primary — 96 978
Avoca Primary School, Avoca Government Primary — 94 965
Dunolly Primary School, Dunolly Government Primary — 88 952
Napoleons Primary School, Napoleons Government Primary — 86 996
St Michael's School, Daylesford Catholic Primary — 86 1,049
Trentham District Primary School, Trentham Government Primary — 85 1,093
Little Bendigo Primary School, Nerrina Government Primary — 84 986
Macarthur Street Primary School, Soldiers Hill Government Primary — 83 951
Mount Blowhard Primary School, Blowhard Government Primary — 79 1,008
St Patrick's School, Gordon Catholic Primary — 76 1,048
Invermay Primary School, Invermay Government Primary — 74 945
Balliang East Primary School, Balliang East Government Primary — 72 928
Ballarat Steiner School, Mount Helen Independent Primary — 64 1,076
Creswick North Primary School, Creswick Government Primary — 58 968
Waubra Primary School, Waubra Government Primary — 53 967
Timor Primary School, Timor Government Primary — 44 912
Hepburn Primary School, Hepburn Government Primary — 42 1,001
Lal Lal Primary School, Lal Lal Government Primary — 41 983
Talbot Primary School, Talbot Government Primary — 37 905
Warrenheip Primary School, Warrenheip Government Primary — 32 909
Bullarto Primary School, Bullarto Government Primary — 28 1,032
Bungaree Primary School, Bungaree Government Primary — 23 1,030
Daylesford Dharma School, Daylesford Independent Primary — 21 1,062
Linton Primary School, Linton Government Primary — 21 1,001
Newlyn Primary School, Newlyn Government Primary — 21 951
St Mary's School, Clarkes Hill Catholic Primary — 17 1,002
Amphitheatre Primary School, Amphitheatre Government Primary — 16 925
Yandoit Primary School, Yandoit Government Primary — 16 1,047
Cape Clear Primary School, Cape Clear Government Primary — 13 977
Moonambel Primary School, Moonambel Government Primary — 11 888
Glen Park Primary School, Glen Park Government Primary — 10 1,110
Landsborough Primary School, Landsborough Government Primary — 10 1,056
Mount Egerton Primary School, Mount Egerton Government Primary — 10 1,049
Trawalla Primary School, Trawalla Government Primary — 8 1,024
Natte Yallock Primary School, Natte Yallock Government Primary — 3 —
Bealiba Primary School, Bealiba Government Primary — 2 850
Sovereign Hill School, Ballarat Government Secondary — — —

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 Ballarat [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa4/201/ballarat/topic/education