Wantirna College is a state-government secondary school in

Wantirna Wantirna is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 24 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Knox local government area. Wantirna recorded a population of 14,237 at the 2021 census. Its name i ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It was founded in 1980 when the surrounding area was developed from fruit orchards into housing estates. The school services Wantirna and

Wantirna South Wantirna South is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 25 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Knox local government area. Wantirna South recorded a population of 20,754 at the 2021 census. W ...

, as well as parts of

Boronia ''Boronia'' is a genus of about 160 species of flowering plants in the citrus family Rutaceae. Most are endemic to Australia with a few species in New Caledonia, which were previously placed in the genus ''Boronella''. They occur in all Austra ...

, and

Bayswater Bayswater is an area within the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...

. Approximately 1250 students are enrolled at the college in addition to approximately 85 teaching and 30 non-teaching staff. The school offers a comprehensive curriculum for students studying years seven through to twelve, which includes the

Victorian Certificate of Education The Victorian Certificate of Education (often abbreviated VCE) is one credential available to secondary school students who successfully complete year 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Victoria. The VCE is the predominant choice for students ...

for students in years ten to twelve and

Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) is a 'hands-on' option for students in Years 10, 11, and 12 and is a credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete year 11 and 12 in the Australian State of Victoria si ...

for students in years 11 and 12.The college will receive $11 milltion from the 2022-2023 Victorian state budget.

History

The college was founded in 1980 when the surrounding area was developed from orchards to housing estates for potential middle class residents. The nearest high schools at the time were

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

, Highvale and

. The establishment of Wantirna College catered for this urban growth. In 1980, only Year 7 was available; in 1981, both Year 7 and 8 were available, and in subsequent years another year level was added until the school finally reached its full strength with Year 12 commencing in 1985. Construction has been a frequent sight at the college with facilities for students being built or improved. 2001 additions include a new VCE Study/Common Room with kitchen and computer facilities which opened in May 2006, an expanded music area which opened in April 2004 along with new lockers, G block classrooms and a library a few years earlier. Recently, the college completed additional construction projects in a bid to make the college facilities similar to those available in

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

public high schools. These facilities include the new Senior Year General Learning block and the refurbishment of the existing Year 7 Learning Centre. These buildings comprise classrooms, IT labs, collaborative learning spaces and staff-rooms. A new cafeteria includes indoor dining and substantial commercial kitchen facilities (now operated by an external party). Construction incorporated a new Theatre including rehearsal rooms, storage areas, control rooms and car parking. Extensive landscape, both hard and soft, was also completed. These works were carried out simultaneously on multiple sites within the school grounds.

Transport

The college is serviced by the public 738 bus route, which runs between

Westfield Knox Westfield Knox (formerly known as Knox City Shopping Centre) is a shopping centre, outdoor entertainment and professional services complex in the outer eastern Melbourne suburb of Wantirna South, in the Australian state of Victoria. The centr ...

and Mitcham railway station runs every 30 minutes during peak and every hour off-peak. There are also public chartered school buses which service the college before and after school each day. There is also a small staff car park adjacent to the college. The majority of students travel to and from school by either walking or via private vehicles. Smaller numbers of students catch public buses or cycle.

References

{{Coord, 37, 51, 23, S, 145, 13, 51, E, display=title, region:AU-VIC_type:edu Educational institutions established in 1980 Public high schools in Victoria (state) 1980 establishments in Australia Buildings and structures in the City of Knox