37.3% ▲ +21.7%
Lower than 71% of suburb / locality areas.
- 2011: 30.7%
- 2016: 33.6%
- 2021: 37.3%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Bowen · Suburb / Locality
Education & Qualifications in Bowen
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Fewer people have finished high school or university in Bowen than in most other areas, which shapes the local skills base. Only 37.3% of residents completed Year 12, a figure far below the national average. This creates a community where practical trade certificates are more common than academic degrees.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
Year 12 completion is far below the national figure of 58.8%, with only 37.3% of people finishing. Many residents left school earlier, as 28.7% finished Year 10 and 13.6% finished Year 9 or below.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Bowen, the largest group is Year 12 at 43%, followed by Year 10 (33%) and Year 9 or below (15%).
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
Academic degrees are rare here, with only 9% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher, which is much lower than most areas. Instead, 40% of people hold a Certificate III or IV, reflecting a strong focus on vocational training.
9.0% ▲ +45.2%
Lower than 74% of suburb / locality areas.
- 2011: 6.2%
- 2016: 7.5%
- 2021: 9.0%
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 Bowen, Certificate III / IV is the majority at 56%; Bachelor degree is next at 18%.
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common qualifications are in engineering and related fields at 19.4%. Other common areas of study include management and commerce at 11.5% and society and culture at 8.8%.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Local schools have an average advantage score of 926, which is much lower than most areas. While there are 5 schools within 3km, the number of schools per 1,000 children is lower than in most similar places.
2.45
Lower than 65% of suburb / locality areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
5
Higher than 73% 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).
335
Higher than 52% of suburb / locality areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
926
Lower than 84% of suburb / locality areas.
Enrolment-weighted average ICSEA — an index of socio-educational advantage, centred near 1000 (context, not a quality ranking).
Schools serving Bowen
5 schools — 1,676 students, average ICSEA 926.
By sector: Government 4 · Catholic 1
By type: Primary 4 · Secondary 1
| Merinda State School, Bowen | Government | Primary | 16.8 km | 41 | 881 |
| St Mary's Catholic School, Bowen | Catholic | Primary | 23.6 km | 146 | 967 |
| Bowen State School, Bowen | Government | Primary | 23.8 km | 508 | 927 |
| Bowen State High School, Bowen | Government | Secondary | 23.9 km | 679 | 919 |
| Queens Beach State School, Bowen | Government | Primary | 24.9 km | 302 | 928 |
Sources
More for Bowen
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Bowen [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sal/SAL30342/bowen/topic/education