An artist’s aerial impression of what the new Googong High School will look like. Image: Supplied.
Three new schools are coming to a south-east NSW town ahead of predicted population growth.
It means that construction of Googong High School has started, while two more schools will be built in the town over the coming years (a public primary school and a preschool).
State Member for Monaro Steve Whan said the announcements put the area “ahead of the curve”, as school capacity wouldn’t lag behind student numbers.
“We know that this community is growing fast,” Mr Whan said. ”By 2027, there’ll be about 12,000 people living here, growing to 18,000 a few years later.”
The new school will have 26 modern classrooms, three support classrooms, a multipurpose hall and canteen, a library, multipurpose sports courts, specialist classrooms, a sports field and an agricultural plot.
Parents and Citizens Association president Candice Cox said the start of work came after years of discussions and advocacy from the community.
“We’re really excited to see this infrastructure being delivered for Googong – now, when it’s needed. Really grateful for that and for the work that Minister Whan’s done facilitating that,” she told Region.
Ms Cox also said additional capacity was needed for high schoolers, pointing to the association’s campaign for the campus to open with more student spaces.
The school will open with an inaugural cohort of 700 students, with plans to cater to a further 2000.
In late June, Region also revealed that the school already has 784 pupils and is utilising two demountables after exceeding capacity.
The new primary school, as well as the preschool, is expected to be built on the same nine-hectare block in Wellsvale Drive that was previously set aside for Googong’s new high school.
Once constructed, the primary school is set to accommodate more than 650 students across 28 classrooms, three support classrooms, a hall and sports courts.
The announcement means the town’s first public primary school, which opened in 2023, is set to remain as is.
Mr Whan described it as being on a “constrained” block in Gorman Drive, which was affecting planning for its future.
Demountables will be hosted on the existing school site until work on the second primary school is finished.
For Ms Cox, building a new school at the Wellsvale Drive site would avoid disruptions from construction.
“Googong Public School is so far over capacity already … If we can get the second primary school up and running and have that growth spread across them, it would be easier to get a second stage in the future [for a possible expansion],” she said.
She added that the preschool, which is expected to cater to up to 120 children a week, had also been the subject of community calls.
“The preschool is something that mums have been crying out for in Googong for a very long time,” Ms Cox said.
“Many of us have done the trek into Queanbeyan … for the 10, 11 years that Googong’s been out here – if not longer – so it will be great to have a preschool in Googong.”
Googong Residents’ Association president Dean Martin said more schools for Googong would mean less travel time for families.
“We already knew the high school had been approved and would be ready for 2027, but knowing that a preschool and primary school would be done [as well] is a huge boost,” Mr Martin said.
“Families can now have a full school journey available, right from preschool to high school, which makes life easier for parents out here. It’s great news.”
Mr Martin said having the new facilities on the same block would make students’ transition between years easier.
“[The] kids would know the area … they’re already within that community, they know the older children. They’ve seen them around [and in turn they’ve] seen the younger ones. It’s like stepping across to your neighbour’s yard.”
Construction also recently started on Bungendore High this month, while early site works for Jerrabomberra High began earlier this year.
Mr Whan said discussions were ongoing with School Infrastructure NSW and relevant contractors to ensure the schools were delivered on time.
Googong’s new high school was on track to open in time for Term 1 in 2027, while he said the new primary and preschool facilities were expected to open in 2028.
