65.3% ▲ +15.4%
Higher than 87% of suburb / locality areas.
- 2011: 56.6%
- 2016: 59.2%
- 2021: 65.3%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Wollongong · Suburb / Locality
Education & Qualifications in Wollongong
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Far more adults in Wollongong hold high-level qualifications than in most similar areas. This is a well-educated hub where 36% of adults have a bachelor degree or higher, which is well above the national figure of 26.3%.}
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
School completion is strong here, with 65.3% of people finishing Year 12. This is well above the 58.9% seen across New South Wales.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Wollongong, Year 12 is the majority at 70%; Year 10 is next at 17%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
Academic achievement is high, as 36% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher. This is much higher than most areas and nearly 10 points above the Australian average.
36.0% ▲ +39.9%
Higher than 90% of suburb / locality areas.
- 2011: 25.8%
- 2016: 28.8%
- 2021: 36.0%
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 Wollongong, the largest group is Bachelor degree at 38%, followed by Certificate III / IV (23%) and Postgraduate degree (18%).
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common qualifications are in management and commerce at 19.6%, followed by engineering and related fields at 14.1%.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Wollongong has one of the largest networks of schools, with 29 within 3 km. On average, these schools are larger and have higher advantage scores than those in most similar areas.
2.79
Lower than 60% of suburb / locality areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
29
Higher than 88% 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).
421
Higher than 62% of suburb / locality areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
1,077
Higher than 86% of suburb / locality areas.
Enrolment-weighted average ICSEA — an index of socio-educational advantage, centred near 1000 (context, not a quality ranking).
Schools serving Wollongong
29 schools — 11,796 students, average ICSEA 1,077.
By sector: Government 21 · Independent 5 · Catholic 3
By type: Primary 18 · Secondary 7 · Combined 4
| Novo Education Space, Wollongong | Independent | Secondary | 0.5 km | 44 | 983 |
| Wollongong Public School, Wollongong | Government | Primary | 0.7 km | 579 | 1,084 |
| St Mary Star of the Sea College, Wollongong | Independent | Secondary | 0.9 km | 1,128 | 1,104 |
| Illawarra Hospital School, Wollongong | Government | Combined | 0.9 km | — | — |
| Smiths Hill High School, Wollongong | Government | Secondary | 1.1 km | 736 | 1,186 |
| Coniston Public School, Coniston | Government | Primary | 1.3 km | 181 | 990 |
| St Brigid's Catholic Primary School, Gwynneville | Catholic | Primary | 1.7 km | 175 | 1,083 |
| Gwynneville Public School, Gwynneville | Government | Primary | 1.8 km | 271 | 1,065 |
| Para Meadows School, North Wollongong | Government | Combined | 1.9 km | 113 | 945 |
| Wollongong West Public School, Wollongong | Government | Primary | 2.0 km | 243 | 991 |
| St Therese Catholic Primary School, Mangerton | Catholic | Primary | 2.0 km | 368 | 1,090 |
| The Illawarra Grammar School, Wollongong West | Independent | Combined | 2.1 km | 970 | 1,159 |
| Mount St Thomas Public School, Wollongong | Government | Primary | 2.3 km | 354 | 1,070 |
| Keiraville Public School, Keiraville | Government | Primary | 2.4 km | 297 | 1,103 |
| Keira High School, Fairy Meadow | Government | Secondary | 2.4 km | 723 | 984 |
| Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts, Fairy Meadow | Government | Secondary | 2.5 km | 1,169 | 1,075 |
| Elonera Montessori School, Mount Ousley | Independent | Combined | 2.8 km | 187 | 1,108 |
| Edmund Rice College, West Wollongong | Independent | Secondary | 2.9 km | 1,054 | 1,083 |
| Lindsay Park Public School, Wollongong | Government | Primary | 3.0 km | 334 | 1,068 |
| Mount Ousley Public School, Fairy Meadow | Government | Primary | 3.3 km | 193 | 1,079 |
| Good Samaritan Catholic Primary School, Fairy Meadow | Catholic | Primary | 3.4 km | 335 | 1,081 |
| Figtree Heights Public School, Figtree | Government | Primary | 3.5 km | 181 | 1,061 |
| Figtree High School, Figtree | Government | Secondary | 3.7 km | 880 | 1,013 |
| Figtree Public School, Figtree | Government | Primary | 3.8 km | 264 | 1,028 |
| Mount Keira Public School, Mount Keira | Government | Primary | 3.9 km | 91 | 1,072 |
| Pleasant Heights Public School, Mount Pleasant | Government | Primary | 4.0 km | 241 | 1,126 |
| Nareena Hills Public School, Figtree | Government | Primary | 4.2 km | 209 | 1,080 |
| Fairy Meadow Public School, Fairy Meadow | Government | Primary | 4.2 km | 342 | 1,002 |
| Towradgi Public School, Fairy Meadow | Government | Primary | 4.4 km | 134 | 1,031 |
Sources
More for Wollongong
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Wollongong [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sal/SAL14376/wollongong/topic/education