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AustraliaCommunity profile

Regional NSW

Education institution attending

In 2021, 86,231 people in Regional NSW were attending university. This represents 3.0% of the population, compared to 4.2% in Western Australia.

The share of Regional NSW's population attending educational institutions reflects the age structure of the population, as it is influenced by the number of children attending school; proximity to tertiary education, which can mean young adults leaving home to be nearer to educational facilities and; the degree to which people are seeking out educational opportunities in adulthood, especially in their late teens and early twenties.

This data is often combined with Age Structure to identify areas with significant university student populations.

Learn more about planning education provision here.

Q:

Derived from the Census question:

'What type of educational institution is the person attending?'

Education institution attending
Regional NSW - Total persons (Usual residence)20212006Change
Type of institutionNumber%Western Australia %Number%Western Australia %2006 to 2021
Pre-school58,6132.11.743,9841.81.4+14,629
Primary school223,2897.98.4216,5708.98.7+6,719
Primary - Government153,6045.45.9155,1416.46.0-1,537
Primary - Catholic46,7511.71.443,8881.81.6+2,863
Primary - Independent22,9340.81.117,5410.71.0+5,393
Secondary school172,5876.16.6168,7106.95.9+3,877
Secondary - Government106,3763.83.8115,9984.83.4-9,622
Secondary - Catholic40,3301.41.434,0301.41.2+6,300
Secondary - Independent25,8810.91.418,6810.81.2+7,200
TAFE/Vocational69,6422.52.359,1372.42.1+10,505
University86,2313.04.259,8712.53.7+26,360
Other15,4700.50.911,2000.50.5+4,270
Not attending2,011,60371.169.71,690,52769.668.6+321,076
Not stated192,2086.86.3180,5707.49.1+11,638
Total2,829,643100.0100.02,430,569100.0100.0+399,074
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2006 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information

Dominant groups

Analysis of the share of the population attending educational institutions in Regional NSW in 2021 compared to Western Australia shows that there was a similar proportion attending primary school, a lower proportion attending secondary school, and a lower proportion engaged in tertiary level education.

Overall, 7.9% of the population were attending primary school, 6.1% of the population were attending secondary institutions, and 5.5% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 8.4%, 6.6% and 6.5% respectively for Western Australia.

The major differences between the share of the population attending learning institutions in Regional NSW and Western Australia were:

  • A larger percentage of persons not attending (71.1% compared to 69.7%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons attending University (3.0% compared to 4.2%)

Emerging groups

From 2006 to 2021, Regional NSW's population increased by 399,075 people (+16.4%). This represents an average annual change of 1.02% per year over the period.

The largest changes in the number of persons attending education institutions in Regional NSW, between 2006 and 2021 were in those who nominated:

  • University (+26,360 persons)
  • Pre-school (+14,629 persons)
  • TAFE/Vocational (+10,505 persons)
  • Secondary - Government (-9,622 persons)

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