Search underway for public high school location in Wagga's northern suburbs

The NSW Education Minister has confirmed that the State Government is on the hunt for a location for the first public high school in Wagga’s northern suburbs.

During Question Time in Parliament this week, independent Wagga MP Dr Joe McGirr asked Deputy Premier Prue Car for an update on her commitment to investigate the need for a new secondary school.

In March, the minister promised to “properly examine” figures that suggested Wagga’s growth would be sufficiently served by only a handful of additional classrooms.

“We had 80 enrolments this year in kindergarten at Estella and I would have thought that in the next five to 10 years we’re going to have more than enough students to fill six surplus classrooms,” Dr McGirr said.

Ms Car said the government had undertaken an “enrolment growth audit” that had highlighted a “failure in the planning of growth areas”.

“What that analysis showed will not surprise the member or anybody who lives in the northern suburbs,” she said on Tuesday (15 October).

“It showed that a future high school will be needed if the expected development goes ahead.

“We validate the community’s concern that a high school will be needed in the future.”

Wagga’s northern suburbs of Estella, Boorooma and Gobbagombalin continue to expand, with the population now exceeding 7000.

Two new shopping centres opened last year and plans for a club and further commercial ventures continue to be floated.

Wagga’s newest primary campus, Estella Public School, opened in 2021 with room for 480 students from K-6 and has rapidly filled with the influx of young families.

But as students graduate from Estella Public, parents are faced with a difficult choice and a commute across the Gobbagombalin Bridge to the nearest public secondary school.

The northern suburbs are in the catchment for Wagga Wagga High School, which is nine kilometres away and has a cosy student population of more than 1000.

The Riverina Anglican College (TRAC) is currently the only high school across the Gobba Bridge.

TRAC has completed a major expansion to include a junior school and now caters to more than 1000 students from K-12.

While TRAC boasts an excellent academic reputation, secondary school fees are more than $6000 per year.

Ms Car said the search had begun to identify a suitable location for a public secondary school and that she had asked the department to provide a further update next year.

“The first step for building education infrastructure in those communities is finding a site to build the high school,” she said.

“The department has confirmed that it will engage with local stakeholders, including the council, to ensure that its planning is aligned with demand in the northern growth area.

Ms Car added that the government would continue with plans for investment in and upgrades for existing schools.

“I also assure the member and families in his communities that we are focused not only on planning for the future but also on the here and now,” she said.

”That means ensuring that we are helping existing schools achieve their potential.”