Overview

• Linking 2011 school cohorts to 2021 outcomes, the Australian Population Research Institute reports large gender and sector disparities in university attainment and entry to highly skilled jobs.
• Males from government schools perform worst on high-skill outcomes, with only 18% reaching ABS skill level 1 roles and just 17% of Queensland public-school males gaining a degree.
• Independent-school alumni are roughly twice as likely as government-school peers to work in top professions, with girls from independent and Catholic schools leading high-skill employment at 41% and 38% respectively.
• NSW government schools are an outlier, producing more doctors and other high-skill graduates, which the author links to the state’s 47 selective-entry schools; NSW cites expanded gifted programs but no plan to add selective schools.
• The report warns current trajectories threaten Universities Accord attainment goals and notes government schools remain strong pipelines into trades and construction.