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The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success acknowledges Indigenous peoples across Australia as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which the nation’s campuses are situated. With a history spanning more than 60,000 years as the original educators, Indigenous peoples hold a unique place in our nation. We recognise the importance of their knowledge and culture, and reflect the principles of participation, equity, and cultural respect in our work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future, and consider it an honour to learn from our Indigenous colleagues, partners, and friends.

You are reading: Exploring Trends in Year 12 Participation and Outcomes: Insights from Our Visiting Scholar

ACSES Visiting Scholar Geoffrey Mitchell (QLD) presented fascinating data to the ACSES team during his visit. Below are some of the key points discussed:

Key Data Insights

  • Decline in Undergraduate Applications, Offers and Enrolments: A decreasing trend in the proportion of Year 12 students receiving offers and enrolling at university affecting equity and non-equity cohorts.
  • Data Mapping Challenges: An analysis of publicly available data from national, state/territory, and school levels revealed inconsistencies in reporting and measurement practices. This included inputs from educational authorities and tertiary admissions centres.

Significant Findings

  • School Year 10 – 12 retention is falling and lower for First Nations students, low SES students, students in regional and remote areas, students in Government schools and for males.
  • ATAR attainment is variable across states and territories but consistently lower for the above student cohorts.
  • Senior subject selection and pathways are impacted by same factors.
  • Queensland post-school destination survey data shows students who don’t do an ATAR are much less likely to go directly to university, but much more likely to be unemployed.
  • In WA, ATAR participation is continuing to decline, but participation in in-school enabling programs is growing.
  • SES has a more significant impact on academic pathways in Queensland than regional factors.
  • Funding of more Uni Ready places is a good patch but does not address deeper structural issues.

Future Directions

Geoffrey emphasised the need for ongoing data mapping and cross-jurisdictional comparisons for policy and practice enhancements. Next actions include:

  • Data quality control and validation.
  • Strategic dissemination of findings.
  • Using selected data for wider interjurisdictional comparisons.

Stay tuned for further updates and publications that will delve deeper into these insights and their policy implications.