45.0% ▲ +17.8%
Higher than 50% of suburb / locality areas.
- 2011: 38.2%
- 2016: 39.9%
- 2021: 45.0%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Goonellabah · Suburb / Locality
Education & Qualifications in Goonellabah
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Higher qualifications have become more common in Goonellabah since 2011, with 18.4% of adults now holding a bachelor degree or higher. While this is a higher rate than in most similar areas, it remains well below the national figure. The area shows a varied educational landscape where many residents hold trade certificates rather than university degrees.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Fewer people in Goonellabah finished high school compared to the rest of the state, with only 45% completing Year 12. This is far below the New South Wales figure of 58.9%.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Goonellabah, the largest group is Year 12 at 48%, followed by Year 10 (32%) and Year 9 or below (13%).
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
A bachelor degree or higher is held by 18.4% of adults, which is more common than in most similar areas. However, this is still well below the 26.3% national average, with Certificate III or IV being the most common qualification at 34.1%.
18.4% ▲ +34.2%
Higher than 63% of suburb / locality areas.
- 2011: 13.7%
- 2016: 15.3%
- 2021: 18.4%
Share of people aged 15+ whose highest qualification is a bachelor degree or above (incl. graduate and postgraduate).
Highest qualification level
View on map →In Goonellabah, the largest group is Certificate III / IV at 41%, followed by Bachelor degree (26%) and Advanced diploma / diploma (18%).
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common fields of study for qualified residents are management and commerce at 18%, followed by health at 13.1% and society and culture at 12.2%.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
There are 18 schools within 3km, which is more than 88% of similar areas, though there are only 1.63 schools per 1,000 children. Over half of the schools are government-run.
1.63
Lower than 79% of suburb / locality areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
18
Higher than 86% of suburb / locality areas.
Schools serving the area — within 3 km of small areas, or inside larger ones. A measure of access (catchments overlap, so don't add it across areas).
332
Higher than 51% of suburb / locality areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
999
Higher than 55% of suburb / locality areas.
Enrolment-weighted average ICSEA — an index of socio-educational advantage, centred near 1000 (context, not a quality ranking).
Schools serving Goonellabah
18 schools — 5,971 students, average ICSEA 999.
By sector: Government 10 · Independent 5 · Catholic 3
By type: Primary 9 · Secondary 5 · Combined 4
| The Rivers Secondary College, Kadina High Campus, Goonellabah | Government | Secondary | 1.3 km | 262 | 884 |
| Goonellabah Public School, Goonellabah | Government | Primary | 1.7 km | 226 | 847 |
| Blue Hills College, Goonellabah | Independent | Combined | 2.1 km | 201 | 999 |
| Summerland Christian College, Goonellabah | Independent | Combined | 3.1 km | 628 | 1,042 |
| Tregeagle Public School, Tregeagle | Government | Primary | 3.4 km | 103 | 993 |
| The Rivers Secondary College, Lismore High Campus, Lismore | Government | Secondary | 3.7 km | 438 | 934 |
| Trinity Catholic College Lismore, East Lismore | Independent | Secondary | 3.7 km | 816 | 1,055 |
| Wyrallah Road Public School, Lismore | Government | Primary | 4.0 km | 350 | 947 |
| Wilson Park School, Lismore | Government | Combined | 4.0 km | 83 | 902 |
| Lismore Heights Public School, Lismore Heights | Government | Primary | 4.1 km | 203 | 973 |
| Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School, East Lismore | Catholic | Primary | 4.4 km | 189 | 1,001 |
| Lismore Public School, Lismore | Government | Primary | 4.5 km | 179 | 871 |
| Vistara Primary School, Richmond Hill | Independent | Primary | 5.1 km | 19 | 1,121 |
| St Carthage's Primary School, Lismore | Catholic | Primary | 5.6 km | 580 | 1,064 |
| Living School, Lismore | Independent | Combined | 5.8 km | 313 | 1,037 |
| St John's College, Lismore | Catholic | Secondary | 6.0 km | 774 | 1,059 |
| The Rivers Secondary College, Richmond River High Campus, North Lismore | Government | Secondary | 6.3 km | 494 | 950 |
| Bexhill Public School, Bexhill | Government | Primary | 7.1 km | 113 | 995 |
Sources
More for Goonellabah
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Goonellabah [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sal/SAL11717/goonellabah/topic/education