Congratulations to all 15,644 students who completed their South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) in 2021.

While there are stories of significant achievement at every school, 4 exceptional public school students received a commendation from the Governor of South Australia.

Chloe Henderson, Salisbury High School

Chloe received both the commendation and the Aboriginal SACE Student Excellence Award. Chloe has been celebrated for her achievements both academic and athletic, winning the SAASTA (South Australian Aboriginal Secondary Training Academy) Academic Excellence Award, the school’s Sportsperson of the Year award, as well as academic awards for Physical Education and Hospitality.

Cooper Whitbread, Modbury High School

Cooper was an active member of his school community while he undertook his SACE. Cooper played a key role in the peer support program, led the guitar ensemble, and played in the football and cricket teams.

Tayla Roberts, Streaky Bay Area School

Travelling 700kms a week to study some of her Stage 2 subjects, distance didn't stop Tayla from studying the subjects she loved.  She was also a member of the Rural Youth Ambassador Program in 2021 and attended the National Rural Youth Ambassador Forum in Canberra.

Muhammad Ali, Thebarton Senior College

Completing his studies as an adult, Muhammad balanced his year 12 studies while supporting his family, who recently arrived in Australia. English is his fourth language, and he is passionate about supporting other refugees.

2021 delivered many other impressive achievements:

• 45.3% of SACE completers included VET in their studies.
• This standout year also saw a record 428 Aboriginal students complete their SACE.
• A record numbers of students with an intellectual disability completed their SACE (with one or more modified subjects) – 353 this year compared with 323 in 2020.
• Merits were awarded to 1,016 students across the state.