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Western Australia Parliamentary LibraryCommunity profile

Western Australia

Education institution attending

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In 2021, 112,343 people in Western Australia were attending university. This represents 4.2% of the population, compared to 6.9% in Bateman.

The share of Western Australia'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
Western Australia - Total persons (Usual residence)20212011Change
Type of institutionNumber%Bateman %Number%Bateman %2011 to 2021
Pre-school45,4521.71.732,4201.41.3+13,032
Primary school222,1828.48.1188,6438.47.7+33,539
Primary - Government156,0625.96.0129,3075.85.4+26,755
Primary - Catholic36,6911.41.433,6041.51.5+3,087
Primary - Independent29,4291.10.825,7321.10.8+3,697
Secondary school175,6266.67.6123,7155.56.8+51,911
Secondary - Government102,3673.84.364,0892.92.6+38,278
Secondary - Catholic36,4281.41.829,7461.31.9+6,682
Secondary - Independent36,8311.41.529,8801.32.2+6,951
TAFE/Vocational59,8972.31.748,7672.22.0+11,130
University112,3434.26.991,9234.18.4+20,420
Other23,8560.90.713,4920.60.6+10,364
Not attending1,852,88269.770.51,559,35969.667.8+293,523
Not stated167,7816.32.9180,8648.15.4-13,083
Total2,660,019100.0100.02,239,183100.0100.0+420,836
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2011 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 Western Australia in 2021 compared to Bateman 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, 8.4% of the population were attending primary school, 6.6% of the population were attending secondary institutions, and 6.5% were learning at a tertiary level, compared with 8.1%, 7.6% and 8.5% respectively for Bateman.

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

  • A smaller percentage of persons attending University (4.2% compared to 6.9%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons attending a secondary school (any type) (6.6% compared to 7.6%)

Emerging groups

From 2011 to 2021, Western Australia's population increased by 420,836 people (+18.8%). This represents an average annual change of 1.74% per year over the period.

The largest changes in the number of persons attending education institutions in Western Australia, between 2011 and 2021 were in those who nominated:

  • Secondary school (+51,911 persons)
  • Secondary - Government (+38,278 persons)
  • Primary school (+33,539 persons)
  • Primary - Government (+26,755 persons)

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