Australian 16 year olds are increasingly remaining in high school education. At the last Census, almost 92% of 16 year olds were in in full-time high school education.

Education containment differs considerably between the states, with the highest levels recorded in the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Victoria. ‘Education containment’ is the proportion of 16 year olds in full-time high school education. It provides a guide to the current nature of education activity and attainment aspirations of residents.

Metropolitan areas have traditionally recorded higher rates of education containment than regional areas. This trend is likely reflective of the types of employment opportunities available in these areas, accessibility and perceived ‘need’ for post year-10 education levels.

Since at least 2006, the gap between education containment in metropolitan areas and regional areas has been narrowing. This narrowing has been achieved through strong improvement in regional education containment, despite a considerable increase in metropolitan education containment over the same period.

Since 2006-07, the migration patterns of youths (persons aged 15 to 24 years) has consistently been from regional Australia to metropolitan regions. Students from regional areas with plans to relocate to metropolitan areas are likely becoming more aware of the increased competition for employment and higher prevalence of jobs requiring high-school or post-school qualifications in metropolitan areas. For these students, there are increasing benefits from staying in school past year 10.

Australian Education Containment – Metropolitan vs Regional Areas