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Cairns Regional CouncilCommunity profile

Cairns

Education institution attending

In 2021, 5,647 people in Cairns were attending university. This represents 3.4% of the population, compared to 3.2% in Regional QLD.

The share of Cairns'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
Cairns - Total persons (Usual residence)20212016Change
Type of institutionNumber%Regional QLD %Number%Regional QLD %2016 to 2021
Pre-school2,4361.51.51,7341.11.2+702
Primary school13,7318.28.013,7838.88.5-52
Primary - Government8,1194.95.48,3645.35.8-245
Primary - Catholic4,5162.71.64,1472.61.6+369
Primary - Independent1,0960.71.11,2720.81.1-176
Secondary school11,9927.26.710,3646.66.3+1,628
Secondary - Government7,4804.54.16,4454.13.9+1,035
Secondary - Catholic3,4552.11.32,9411.91.3+514
Secondary - Independent1,0570.61.39780.61.2+79
TAFE/Vocational4,0232.42.02,6641.71.5+1,359
University5,6473.43.25,2683.43.3+379
Other1,6661.00.81,2790.80.7+387
Not attending112,64867.570.1106,25167.769.9+6,397
Not stated14,7868.97.515,5599.98.7-773
Total166,929100.0100.0156,902100.0100.0+10,027
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 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 Cairns in 2021 compared to Regional QLD shows that there was a similar proportion attending primary school, a similar proportion attending secondary school, and a higher proportion engaged in tertiary level education.

Overall, 8.2% of the population were attending primary school, 7.2% of the population were attending secondary institutions, and 5.8% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 8.0%, 6.7% and 5.2% respectively for Regional QLD.

The major differences between the share of the population attending learning institutions in Cairns and Regional QLD were:

  • A larger percentage of persons attending a Catholic primary school (2.7% compared to 1.6%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons not attending (67.5% compared to 70.1%)

Emerging groups

From 2016 to 2021, Cairns's population increased by 10,027 people (+6.4%). This represents an average annual change of 1.25% per year over the period.

The largest changes in the number of persons attending education institutions in Cairns, between 2016 and 2021 were in those who nominated:

  • Secondary school (+1,628 persons)
  • TAFE/Vocational (+1,359 persons)
  • Secondary - Government (+1,035 persons)
  • Pre-school (+702 persons)

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