81.2% ▲ +152.9%
Higher than 98% of state electorate areas.
- 2011: 32.1%
- 2016: 73.1%
- 2021: 81.2%
Share of people whose highest year of school is Year 12 or equivalent.
Sydney · State Electorate
Education & Qualifications in Sydney
How far people went at school, the qualifications they hold and what they studied.
Over half of all adults in Sydney hold a university degree, placing the area among the most highly qualified across the country. This educational profile has shifted rapidly, with the proportion of people finishing Year 12 climbing by 49 percentage points since 2011. The result is a highly skilled population where university qualifications are the norm rather than the exception.
Schooling
Highest year of school completed.
School completion rates are far above the national figure, with 81.2% of residents finishing Year 12. This is 22 percentage points higher than both the state and national averages.
Highest year of school
View on map →In Sydney, Year 12 is the majority at 89%; Year 10 is next at 5%.
Qualifications
Post-school qualifications and degrees.
The area is far more qualified than the rest of Australia, as 53.0% of adults have a bachelor degree or higher. This is 27 percentage points above the national average and reflects a massive jump from 2011, when only 9.8% held these degrees.
53.0% ▲ +438.5%
Higher than 99% of state electorate areas.
- 2011: 9.8%
- 2016: 44.7%
- 2021: 53.0%
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 Sydney, the largest group is Bachelor degree at 50%, followed by Postgraduate degree (23%) and Advanced diploma / diploma (16%).
Field of study
What people studied.
The most common fields of study are management and commerce at 30.0%, followed by society and culture at 16.6%. Creative arts, health, and engineering also make up significant portions of the local qualifications.
Schools
Schools in the area and how many children they serve (ACARA).
Sydney provides 2.79 schools per 1,000 children, which is much higher than most areas. These schools have an average advantage score of 1,175, placing them among the highest at this level.
2.79
Higher than 74% of state electorate areas.
Schools per 1,000 children aged under 15.
18
Lower than 57% of state electorate 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).
8,298
Lower than 60% of state electorate areas.
Total students enrolled across the area's schools.
519
Higher than 58% of state electorate areas.
Average enrolment per school in the area.
1,175
Higher than 99% of state electorate areas.
Enrolment-weighted average ICSEA — an index of socio-educational advantage, centred near 1000 (context, not a quality ranking).
Schools serving Sydney
18 schools — 8,298 students, average ICSEA 1,175.
By sector: Government 9 · Independent 7 · Catholic 2
By type: Primary 8 · Secondary 6 · Combined 4
| St Mary's Cathedral College, Sydney | Catholic | Combined | 0.1 km | 937 | 1,125 |
| Sydney Grammar School, Darlinghurst | Independent | Secondary | 0.5 km | 1,925 | 1,274 |
| Plunkett Street Public School, Woolloomooloo | Government | Primary | 0.6 km | 73 | 968 |
| Sydney Distance Education High School, Woolloomooloo | Government | Secondary | 0.7 km | 615 | 1,032 |
| SCEGGS Darlinghurst, Darlinghurst | Independent | Combined | 0.7 km | 936 | 1,209 |
| Macquarie Grammar School, Sydney | Independent | Secondary | 0.8 km | 84 | 1,027 |
| Conservatorium High School, Sydney | Government | Secondary | 0.8 km | 156 | 1,194 |
| St Andrew's Cathedral Gawura School, Sydney | Independent | Primary | 0.8 km | 38 | 817 |
| St Andrew's Cathedral School, Sydney | Independent | Combined | 0.8 km | 1,436 | 1,189 |
| Australian International High School, Sydney | Independent | Secondary | 0.8 km | — | 1,028 |
| St Vincent's College, Potts Point | Independent | Secondary | 1.1 km | 755 | 1,145 |
| Darlinghurst Public School, Potts Point | Government | Primary | 1.3 km | 210 | 1,156 |
| Crown Street Public School, Surry Hills | Government | Primary | 1.3 km | 288 | 1,114 |
| Observatory Hill Environmental Education Centre, The Rocks | Government | Combined | 1.4 km | — | — |
| Fort Street Public School, Sydney | Government | Primary | 1.4 km | 284 | 1,094 |
| Glenmore Road Public School, Paddington | Government | Primary | 1.9 km | 263 | 1,176 |
| Paddington Public School, Paddington | Government | Primary | 2.4 km | 147 | 1,155 |
| St Francis of Assisi Regional Catholic Primary School, Paddington | Catholic | Primary | 2.6 km | 151 | 1,167 |
Sources
More for Sydney
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education & Qualifications in Sydney [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sed/SED10080/sydney/topic/education