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AustraliaCommunity profile

Greater Adelaide

Education institution attending

In 2021, 77,415 people in Greater Adelaide were attending university. This represents 5.6% of the population, compared to 5.5% in Greater Capital Cities.

The share of Greater Adelaide'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
Greater Adelaide - Total persons (Usual residence)20212006Change
Type of institutionNumber%Greater Capital Cities %Number%Greater Capital Cities %2006 to 2021
Pre-school22,5001.62.013,9871.21.5+8,513
Primary school117,3448.58.2103,4338.98.2+13,911
Primary - Government76,6235.55.765,9605.75.5+10,663
Primary - Catholic22,0511.61.520,9661.81.7+1,085
Primary - Independent18,6701.31.116,5061.41.0+2,164
Secondary school81,4935.96.567,0185.86.3+14,475
Secondary - Government41,2893.03.636,1693.13.5+5,120
Secondary - Catholic19,8321.41.515,2111.31.5+4,621
Secondary - Independent20,3721.51.415,6361.41.3+4,736
TAFE/Vocational31,4922.32.525,7442.22.2+5,748
University77,4155.65.550,4134.44.5+27,002
Other12,2820.91.18,3560.70.7+3,926
Not attending990,90071.469.3809,82170.068.0+181,079
Not stated53,8793.94.978,4166.88.4-24,537
Total1,387,305100.0100.01,157,188100.0100.0+230,117
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 Greater Adelaide in 2021 compared to Greater Capital Cities shows that there was a similar proportion attending primary school, a lower proportion attending secondary school, and a similar proportion engaged in tertiary level education.

Overall, 8.5% of the population were attending primary school, 5.9% of the population were attending secondary institutions, and 7.9% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 8.2%, 6.5% and 8.0% respectively for Greater Capital Cities.

The major difference between the share of the population attending learning institutions in Greater Adelaide and Greater Capital Cities was:

  • A larger percentage of persons not attending (71.4% compared to 69.3%)

Emerging groups

From 2006 to 2021, Greater Adelaide's population increased by 230,120 people (+19.9%). This represents an average annual change of 1.22% per year over the period.

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

  • University (+27,002 persons)
  • Secondary school (+14,475 persons)
  • Primary school (+13,911 persons)
  • Primary - Government (+10,663 persons)

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