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Tasmania Schools and Education Guide: Public, Private, and University
From Hobart's public schools to the University of Tasmania, here is everything families need to know about education in the island state.
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Tasmania's education landscape is shaped by the state's small population (570,000 people across a large geographic area), the challenges of providing high-quality education in remote and rural areas, and the presence of the University of Tasmania (the fourth-oldest university in Australia, founded 1890). Tasmania has historically had lower Year 12 completion rates and lower tertiary education participation rates than the mainland states, and significant government and community investment has been made over the past decade to improve educational outcomes, particularly in the state's rural and remote communities.
Government Schools and the Tasmanian Education System, the Tasmanian Department of Education operates government schools on a K-10 and senior secondary college model: government high schools in Tasmania run from Years 7-10 (or in some areas, K-10 in combined schools), and Years 11-12 are completed at one of six government senior secondary colleges (Rosny College, Hobart College, Elizabeth College, Claremont College in the Hobart area; Launceston College in the north; and Drysdale Senior Secondary College in the north-west). The two most prestigious senior secondary colleges (Rosny College and Hobart College) have outstanding academic programs and consistently achieve high TCE (Tasmanian Certificate of Education) results. The Government's Selective Entry programs within the Tasmanian school system are limited compared to the mainland states.
Private Schools in Hobart, Tasmania's independent school sector is concentrated in Hobart: the Hutchins School (Sandy Bay, founded 1846, the most prestigious independent boys' school in Tasmania), St Michael's Collegiate School (Hobart, the most prestigious independent girls' school), Fahan School (Sandy Bay, independent girls'), and the Friends' School (North Hobart, the largest Quaker school in Australia, with a distinctive progressive educational philosophy) are the major independent schools in Hobart. The Catholic Education Diocese of Hobart operates St Virgil's College (Austins Ferry, the major Catholic boys' school) and St Mary's College (Hobart, the major Catholic girls' school).
University of Tasmania, the University of Tasmania (UTAS, campuses in Hobart, Launceston, and Burnie, and an expanded presence in Sydney through the John Curtin School of Medical Research partnership) is Tasmania's only university and one of Australia's oldest: UTAS is particularly strong in marine and Antarctic science (the Australian Antarctic Division is headquartered in Kingston, Hobart, and UTAS's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies is internationally regarded), law, and the humanities. The Australian Maritime College (AMC, a specialist college of UTAS at Newnham, Launceston) is Australia's leading maritime education institution.
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