Fewer Students Want to Study Earth Science in High School

Only about 200 students in Queensland will finish earth and environmental science this year. This number keeps getting smaller each year. The government also found that 13 percent fewer students are taking English classes in their final year of high school. Schools are worried about losing students from important subjects.

Oscar Weatherstone was one of 21 students who took earth science at Brisbane Grammar School last year. He now goes to the University of Queensland. Oscar thinks earth science is important because it teaches us about materials we use every day. He says everything from smartphones to building materials comes from the ground somehow.

The subject starts with geology, which is the study of rocks and Earth's structure. Students learn about different types of rocks like sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Later in the course, they study environmental science topics like climate change. Some students don't realize the class covers so much geology at the beginning.

Only 15 schools in Queensland now offer earth and environmental science. Seven of these schools are in the Brisbane area. The number of schools teaching this subject keeps going down as fewer students want to take it. Some schools have stopped offering the class completely because not enough students sign up.