47.5% ▲ +21.9%
Higher than 57% of suburb / locality areas.
- 2011: 39.0%
- 2016: 42.4%
- 2021: 47.5%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Nelson Bay · Suburb / Locality
Education & Qualifications in Nelson Bay
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Education levels in Nelson Bay have shifted slowly over the last decade, with far fewer people finishing Year 12 compared to the national figure. While nearly 20% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, this remains well below the typical Australian experience.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Only 47.5% of residents have completed Year 12, which is far below the 58.8% national average. About 29.5% of people stopped their schooling at Year 10.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Nelson Bay, Year 12 is the majority at 51%; Year 10 is next at 32%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
Adults with a bachelor degree or higher make up 18.3% of the population, which is higher than most similar areas but still well below the New South Wales figure of 27.8%. The most common qualification is a Certificate III or IV, held by 32.6% of residents.
18.3% ▲ +35.3%
Higher than 62% of suburb / locality areas.
- 2011: 13.5%
- 2016: 14.8%
- 2021: 18.3%
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 Nelson Bay, the largest group is Certificate III / IV at 40%, followed by Bachelor degree (24%) and Advanced diploma / diploma (22%).
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common fields of study for those with qualifications are management and commerce at 21.0%, followed by engineering and related fields at 15.8%.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
There are six schools within 3 km of the center, though there are much fewer schools per 1,000 children than in most other areas. Local schools are larger than average and half are government-run.
1.23
Lower than 88% of suburb / locality areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
6
Higher than 74% 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).
442
Higher than 65% of suburb / locality areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
1,007
Higher than 60% of suburb / locality areas.
Enrolment-weighted average ICSEA — an index of socio-educational advantage, centred near 1000 (context, not a quality ranking).
Schools serving Nelson Bay
6 schools — 2,653 students, average ICSEA 1,007.
By sector: Government 3 · Independent 2 · Catholic 1
By type: Primary 4 · Secondary 1 · Combined 1
| St Michael's Primary School, Nelson Bay | Catholic | Primary | 1.6 km | 269 | 1,040 |
| Tomaree Public School, Salamander Bay | Government | Primary | 2.4 km | 310 | 981 |
| Tomaree High School, Salamander Bay | Government | Secondary | 2.5 km | 986 | 970 |
| St Philip's Christian College - Port Stephens, Salamander Bay | Independent | Combined | 2.7 km | 821 | 1,072 |
| St Philip's Christian College Gilibaa, Salamander Bay | Independent | Primary | 2.8 km | 30 | 763 |
| Shoal Bay Public School, Shoal Bay | Government | Primary | 3.4 km | 237 | 962 |
Sources
More for Nelson Bay
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Nelson Bay [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sal/SAL12932/nelson-bay/topic/education