Education Statistics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

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Early childhood, primary, secondary and non-school education statistics including highest level of education and attendance information

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Reference period
2018-19 financial year
Released
4/12/2020
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Key statistics

  • 49% of people aged 25-34 had a certificate III level or above qualification in 2018-19, up from 28% in 2008.
  • 3,708 people had a postgraduate degree level qualification in 2016, up from 682 in 2001.
  • 26% of people aged 20+ years in 2014-15 wanted to study in the last 12 months but did not.

Information sources and comparability

Education information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is available in a number of ABS collections. See the Information Sources table below for further information.

The information presented in this publication has been sourced from the Census, the NATSIHS and the NATSISS. When reading this publication please keep in mind that data from the Census cannot be compared to data from the NATSIHS and NATSISS due to different collection methods.

Information Sources

Government reporting

ABS survey, Census of Population and Housing and administrative information are major data sources for a number of government reports that measure outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. These include the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, the Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage report, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework. ABS education information is used in all of these reports. Where possible this publication presents information using the same methodology used by these reports.

    Closing the Gap Targets

    Preschool education

    Preschool is the year of education before full-time school. Preschool programs can be called different things in different states or territories. The age a child starts preschool can also differ across states and territories. These differences are summarised in the Preschool Education, Australia Methodology page.

    The number of students aged 3 to 5 years old attending preschool increased by 59.8% between the 2001 and 2016 Census, from 10,448 to 16,698 students. Over the same time, the number of children aged 3 to 5 years old increased by 35.5%. This means the national attendance rate for preschool has increased.
     

    Please note that there are small random adjustments made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from table totals.

    (a) Preschool is considered the year before fulltime schooling.

    (b) Denominator includes all educational institutions, including type of educational institution attending not stated and not applicable.

    (c) Based on Place of Usual Residence. Includes Other Territories, No Usual Address and Migratory, Offshore and Shipping.

    Source: 2001 and 2016 Census of Population and Housing

    The 2014-15 NATSISS asked questions about communication between teachers and parents or primary carers about children's experiences at preschool. It showed:

    • The majority (90%) of schools reported very well or well on the child’s progress in preschool, according to parents/primary carers.
    • More than one-third (37%) of preschool students were being taught culture at school.

     

    Other available data

    Further information about early childhood education, including enrolments and attendance, is available from the National Early Childhood Education and Care Collection (NECECC) - see Preschool Education, Australia.

    Primary education

    Primary school education covers kindergarten to year 6.

    The number of students aged 4 to 14 years old attending primary school increased by 36.7% between the 2001 and 2016 Census, from 71,577 to 97,859 students. The number of children aged 4 to 14 years old increased by a similar amount (36.3%). This means the proportion of persons attending primary school has remained stable.
     

    Please note that there are small random adjustments made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from table totals.

    (a) Primary school includes kindergarten to year 6.

    (b) Denominator includes all educational institutions, including type of educational institution attending not stated and not applicable.

    (c) Based on Place of Usual Residence. Includes Other Territories, No Usual Address and Migratory, Offshore and Shipping.

    Source: 2001 and 2016 Census of Population and Housing

    The 2014-15 NATSISS asked questions about children's attendance and experience at primary school. It showed:

    • More than two-thirds (72%) of primary school students did not miss days at school in the week prior to interview.
    • The most common reason primary school students missed school was that school was not available or not open.
    • Students in non-remote areas were more likely to have not missed school without permission in the previous 12 months than those in remote areas (97% compared with 84%).
    • The majority of schools (86%) reported very well or well on the child’s progress at primary school, according to parents/primary carers.
    • More than two-thirds (68%) of students were being taught culture at school .

    Secondary education

    Secondary school education covers year 7 to year 12.

    Between the 2001 and 2016 Census, students aged 11 to 18 year-olds attending secondary school increased by 88.6% from 34,124 to 64,341 students. The number of persons aged 11 to 18 years old increased by 47.2% over the same period. This means the proportion of persons attending secondary school has increased. Please note, states and territories have different education systems that may impact on these results. For further information, please see Schools, Australia.
     

    Please note that there are small random adjustments made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from table totals.

    (a) Secondary school includes year 7 to year 12.

    (b) Denominator includes all educational institutions, including type of educational institution attending not stated and not applicable.

    (c) Based on Place of Usual Residence. Includes Other Territories, No Usual Address and Migratory, Offshore and Shipping.

    Source: 2001 and 2016 Census of Population and Housing

    The 2014-15 NATSISS asked questions about student's attendance at secondary school. It showed:

    • More than three-fifths (64%) of secondary students did not miss days at school in the previous week. The most common reason for missing school was that school was not available or not open.
    • The majority of students (90%) did not miss school without permission in the previous 12 months. Students in non-remote areas were more likely to not miss school without permission than those in remote areas (92% and 80% respectively).
    • The majority of schools (82%) reported very well or well on the child’s progress at secondary school, according to parents/primary carers.

    • More than two-thirds of students in secondary school were being taught culture at school - 71% of students aged 14 years and under and 68% of students aged 15 to 19 years.

     

    Highest year of school completed

    According to the 2018-19 NATSIHS, for people aged 20 years and over the most common highest year of school completed was equally year 12 and year 10 (32% and 31% respectively).
     

    Cells in this table containing data have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data. Discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.

    (a) Year 12 or equivalent for ACT has a high margin of error and should be used with caution.

    Source: 2018-19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS)

    Change over time

    Over the 10 years to 2018-19, the proportion of persons aged 20 years and over who finished year 12 increased 11 percentage points, while the proportion of people with year 9 or below decreased by the same amount.
     

    Cells in this table containing data have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data. Discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.

    (a) Denominator includes those that never attended school.

    Source: 2008 and 2014-15 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS), 2012-13 and 2018-19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS)

    Age groups

    This higher level of school completion over time is also demonstrated when looking at year 12 completion rates by age group. Year 12 completion has steadily increased over time for all age groups.
     

    Please note that there are small random adjustments made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from table totals.

    (a) Denominator excludes not stated responses.

    (b) Based on Place of Usual Residence. Total includes Migratory, Offshore, Shipping, No usual address and Other Territories.

    Source: 2001 and 2016 Census of Population and Housing

    Assistance required to help complete year 12

    In the 2014-15 NATSISS, respondents were asked what sort of assistance would help students in secondary school complete year 12. The most common responses nationally are below.

    For students aged 14 years and under:

    • Support from family, friends and school (85%)
    • More individual tutoring (43%)
    • Career guidance (39%)
    • Provision of coaches or mentors (34%)
    • Support networks (34%)

    This varied for remote areas, where the most common responses were:

    • Support from family, friends and school (91%)
    • Encouragement from elders and council (39%)
    • A relative to support if goes away to boarding school (37%)

     

    For students aged 15 to 19 years old:

    • Support from family, friends and school (80%)
    • Career guidance (44%)
    • More individual tutoring (28%)
    • Greater access to apprenticeships (25%)

    Again, this varied for remote areas, with 'A relative to support if goes away to boarding school' (25%) and 'Encouragement from elders and council' (21%) also some of the most common responses.

    Non-school Education

    Non-school education covers schooling that is not preschool, primary or secondary school. It includes education at universities, tertiary institutions and technical or further education institutions (TAFEs).

     

    Between the 2001 and 2016 Census:

    • The proportion of persons attending non-school institutions increased by 57.8%, from 21,741 to 34,302 students.
    • Students studying at universities and other tertiary institutions increased from 32.8% to 44.9%, while those studying at TAFEs decreased from 56.5% to 40.9%.
    • There was a decrease in those studying full-time (from 55.4% to 51.1%) and increase in part-time study (from 44.6% to 48.9%).
       

    Please note that there are small random adjustments made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from table totals.

    (a) Non-school education is education other than preschool, primary or secondary education.

    (b) Denominator is persons attending a non-school institution. Excludes those whose institution and/or student status was not stated.

    (c) Based on Place of Usual Residence. Total includes Migratory, Offshore, Shipping, No usual address and Other Territories.

    Source: 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016 Census of Population and Housing

    Between the 2001 and 2016 Census:

    • The proportion of persons studying at technical and further educational institutions decreased from 56.2% to 40.2% in non-remote areas and from 60.8% to 50.6% in remote areas; and
    • The proportion of persons studying at universities and other tertiary institutions increased from 33.7% to 46.3% in non-remote areas and from 24.3% to 26.8%.

     

    Level of highest non-school qualification

    Over the 15 years between the 2001 and 2016 Census, there were large increases in the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons who had non-school qualifications.

    • The number of people with a postgraduate degree as their highest non-school qualification increased by more than five times (from 682 to 3,708 people).
    • The number of people with other levels of non-school qualifications increased by between two and four times.
       

    Please note that there are small random adjustments made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from table totals.

    (a) Excludes those currently studying at secondary school or below.

    (b) Denominator excludes level of education not stated and inadequately described.

    (b) Based on Place of Usual Residence. Total includes Migratory, Offshore, Shipping, No usual address and Other Territories

    Source: 2001 and 2016 Census of Population and Housing

    State and Territory

    Certificate level III and IV were the most common non-school qualifications across all states and territories in the 2016 Census. This was followed by advanced diploma and diploma level qualifications for all states and territories, except for the Australian Capital Territory where Bachelor degrees were the second most common qualification.
     

    Please note that there are small random adjustments made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from table totals.

    (a) Excludes those currently studying at secondary school or below.

    (b) Denominator excludes level of education not stated and inadequately described and includes those without a non-school qualification

    (b) Based on Place of Usual Residence. Total includes Migratory, Offshore, Shipping, No usual address and Other Territories

    Source: 2016 Census of Population and Housing

    Remoteness

    Persons aged 20 years and over in the 2016 Census:

    • Those living in non-remote areas were more likely to have non-school qualifications (45.5%) than those living in remote areas (25.7%);
    • Those living in remote areas were more likely to have certificate level I and II (3.9%) than non-remote areas (2.7%).
       

    Please note that there are small random adjustments made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from table totals.

    (a) Excludes those currently studying at secondary school or below.

    (b) Denominator excludes level of education not stated and inadequately described and includes those without a non-school qualification

    (b) Based on Place of Usual Residence. Includes No Usual Address and Migratory, Offshore and Shipping

    Source: 2016 Census of Population and Housing

    Non-school qualification of certificate III level or above, 25-34 year olds

    For people aged 25-34 years in the 2018-19 NATSIHS:

    • Around half (49%) had a qualification of certificate III level or above, up from 28% in the 2008 NATSISS.
    • More than half (55%) in non-remote areas had a certificate III level or above qualification, up from 35% in the 2008 NATSISS.
    • More than one-quarter (27%) in remote areas had this level of qualification, up from 12% in 2008.
       

    Cells in this table containing data have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data. Discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.

    (a) Denominator excludes those whose level of highest educational attainment could not be determined.

    Source: 2008 and 2014-15 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS), 2012-13 and 2018-19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS)

    Highest Educational Attainment

    Attainment of year 12 or equivalent or certificate III or above

    In the 2018-19 NATSIHS:

    • More than half (57%) of people aged 20 years and over had a year 12 or certificate III level or above qualification. This was up from 39% in the 2008 NATSISS.
    • More than three-fifths (62%) of those aged 20-24 years had a year 12 or certificate III level or above qualification.

    For those aged 20 years and over in the 2018-19 NATSIHS:

    • The proportion with year 12 or certificate III level or above increased as remoteness decreased.
    • More than two-thirds (69%) of those living in major cities had a year 12 or certificate III or above qualification compared with over one-third (36%) of those in very remote areas.
    • The number with this level of qualification was 2.6 times higher than in the 2008 NATSISS for non-remote areas and double for those in remote areas.
       

    Cells in this table containing data have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data. Discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.

    (a) Denominator excludes level of highest non-school qualification not determined.

    Source: 2008 and 2014-15 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS), 2012-13 and 2018-19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS)

    Past and future intentions to study

    The 2014-15 NATSISS collected information about peoples' past and future intentions to study and barriers to study. This information can provide further insights into non-school education outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

     

    Past intentions to study

    Of people not currently studying in the 2014-15 NATSISS:

    • Around one-quarter (26%) of people aged 20 years and over wanted to study for an educational qualification in the last 12 months but did not.
    • More than one-third (35%) of people aged 20-24 years wanted to study for a qualification but did not.
    • Financial reasons was the most commonly reported barrier to studying for an/another qualification (20%).
       

    Cells in this table containing data have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data. Discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.

    (a) Not currently studying

    Note - while these are the most common responses, they may not be statistically significant from each other.

    Source: 2014-15 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS)

    Future intentions to study

    Of those people not currently studying in the 2014-15 NATSISS:

    • More than two-fifths (43%) of people aged 20 years and over intended to study in the future.
    • More than three-fifths (65%) of people aged 20-24 years intended to study in future.

    While intentions to study decreased with age, a large proportion of those aged 25 years and over were interested in future study, including:

    • More than two-fifths (48%) of people aged 35-44 years old.
    • Around one-third (31%) of people aged 45-54 years.

    The most commonly reported reasons for intending to study in future were to improve knowledge or skills (56%), improve qualifications (42%), get a better job (31%) and to get a job 29%). 
     

    Cells in this table containing data have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data. Discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.

    (a) Includes those whose intentions to study are unknown

    (b) Not currently studying

    Note - while these are the most common responses, they may not be statistically significant from each other.

    Source: 2014-15 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS)

    Culture taught in school

    The 2014-15 NATSISS collected information about whether students had learnt about culture in school. This is an important aspect of education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

    According to the 2014-15 NATSISS:

    • More than two-fifths (43%) of people aged 20 years and over were taught about culture at school.
    • The proportion of people who had learnt about culture at school was higher for people in the younger age groups than in the older age groups.
    • Around three-fifths (61%) of people aged 20-24 years reported they had been taught about culture at school, compared with one-fifth (20%) of those aged 55 years and over.
       

    Cells in this table containing data have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data. Discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.

    Source: 2014-15 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS)

    For people aged 20 years and over in the 2014-15 NATSISS:

    • The proportion who reported learning about culture at school ranged from 38.0% in Victoria to 51.0% in the Australian Capital Territory.
    • By remoteness, the proportion who were taught culture at school was about the same for all age groups except for those aged 35-44 years, where the proportion in remote areas (49%) was higher than in non-remote areas (37%).  

    ​​​​​​​

    Available data

    Information used in this publication is available by time series and geography in the Data Downloads section. Please see tables below by topic for information about how to locate this information in the downloads.

    Further education information is available from ABS collections as listed in the 'Information sources and comparability' section. Customised data requests are also available on request. Please see Contact the ABS.

    Preschool education

    Primary school education

    Secondary school education

    Non-school education

    Highest educational attainment

    Intentions to study

    Cultural education

    Data downloads

    Education data tables

    Data files

    Catalogue number

    This content is released under the ABS catalogue number 4741.0

    Methodology

    Education Statistics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples methodology, 2018-19 financial year

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