4221.0 - Schools, Australia, 2001  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/02/2002   
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MEDIA RELEASE

February 27, 2002
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
16/2002
More 17 year olds now staying at school

In the decade to 2001 the proportion of 17 year-olds attending school increased, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Between 1991 and 2001 the proportion of 17 year-olds enrolled as full-time school students has increased from 57% to 62%. School participation rates for 15 and 16 year-olds remained relatively steady (93% and 82% respectively in 2001) compared with 93% and 80% ten years ago.

Overall, the proportion of full-time students attending government schools fell from 72% in 1991 to 69% in 2001. This shift was the result of a 19% increase in the number of full-time students attending non-government schools, compared with a 1% increase in the number of students attending government schools.

There were 28,429 part-time school students in 2001, an increase of 7% over the previous year, and 23% higher than five years ago in 1996. However, overall, part-time students represented less than 1% of all students in Australia in 2001. Tasmania had the highest proportion of part-time students (3.6%), followed by South Australia (2.9%) and the Northern Territory (2.8%).

There were more female teaching staff in both primary schools (79%) and secondary schools (55%), a slight increase from 1996 (76% and 53% respectively).

The number of schools with both primary and secondary students (combined schools) has grown from 841 in 1991 to 1,051 in 2001 (an increase of 25%), with combined schools now representing 11% of all schools.

Details can be found in the publication Schools Australia, 2001 (cat. no. 4221.0) which contains State breakdowns of most data. The summary of the main features may be found on this site. If you wish to purchase a copy of this publication contact the ABS bookshop in your capital city.