Mareeba OP capital

A TINY town is leading the Far North in OP results, ranking in the top three local government area results in the state.

A Cairns Post analysis of Queensland Curriculum Assessment Authority’s 2018 OP score data has broken down the Far North’s five main local government areas – Mareeba, Cairns, Tablelands, Cassowary Coast and Douglas – to see how our kids are performing.

The data shows Mareeba had 94 OP eligible students last year, with 26 graduating with an OP result between 1-5. Fourteen of those students completed their education at a private school, while the remaining 12 graduated from public school.

The area’s total OP 1-5 percentage was 27.66 per cent, placing it just behind Longreach and Brisbane.

Cairns was the next best local government area, with 968 OP eligible students in private and public schools and 191 OP 1-5 results, bringing the area’s total OP 1-5 percentage to 19.73 per cent.

Private schools did most of the heavy lifting for Cairns, with 124 of 494 OP eligible private school students scoring between OP 1-5.

Cairns ranked fifth best in the state for private school OP performance.

But the results aren’t as impressive for our public schools, with just 67 out of 474 public school students achieving an OP 1-5 result.

The Tablelands had no graduates rank between OP 1-5, the Cassowary Coast had 15 score in the top bracket, and Douglas had five.

A James Cook University spokeswoman said the majority of the university’s Cairns students were locals.

“Of our domestic students starting their course in Cairns this year, 93 per cent are from Far North Queensland,” she said. She said OP scores were important, but not the only way to get into university.

“VET and TAFE study, employment experience, or previous tertiary study can also support your application,” she said.

“For students who don’t yet meet the entry requirements for their chosen course, JCU offers courses including the Diploma of Higher Education, Tertiary Access Courses and bridging subjects.”