Why do the colours green purple and gold mean so much around here? These colours are the official colours of Northcote High School. Welcome to a school with a proud history and a bright future. Northcote High School stands as a beacon of education in the City of Darebin. It is located on St Georges Road. The school has been shaping young minds since 1926.
Northcote High School started as one of Melbourne’s first co-educational secondary schools. This was thanks to the efforts of John Cain. He was a Northcote City Councillor and later a Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. Cain believed in providing secondary education for the working-class suburb. He fought hard to establish the school.
Interestingly Northcote High School briefly became a boys’ school after 1928. This happened when Preston Girls High School was established. But community pressure led to change. In 1989 Northcote High School officially returned to co-education. In 2018 the school had 982 boys and 811 girls.
Northcote High School has a strong academic tradition. In 1946 it first offered a limited Maths and Science Matriculation. Principal Alex Sutherland expanded it in the 1950s. Today the school offers a wide range of VCE subjects. This includes many humanities.
Over the years Northcote High School has had many principals. J. S. Kitson was the first, serving from 1926 to 1927. Chris Jones is the current principal. He started in 2022. Each principal has contributed to the school’s growth and success.
Northcote High School has a global outlook. It has a long history of international connections. In the 1930s students corresponded with a school in Poland. In the 1950s the school began hosting international students.
In 1999 Northcote High School formed a sister school agreement with Huaibei Number One High School in China. A second agreement followed in 2016 with Tianjin Binhai Foreign Languages School. Regular exchanges take place with these schools. The school also has an exchange program with a school in France.
In 2015 Northcote High School had a large International Student Program. It hosted over 80 students from five continents. In 2017 it became the first government school to deliver the VCE offshore in partnership with Chinese schools. In 2018 the school received an award for Excellence in Global Learning.
Many notable people have attended Northcote High School. This includes former Victorian Premier John Cain. Also among the alumni are former Deputy Prime Minister James Ford Cairns and founder of the Australian Democrats Don Chipp. The school has also produced artists, writers and sports figures. Bruce Dawe was a poet and writer. Wayne Duncan played bass in Daddy Cool.
Northcote High School celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2016. Today it continues to thrive. The school has about 1,793 students. Northcote High School is known for its music and science programs. It is also a leader in using technology in the classroom. The school motto is “Meliora Sequamur”. This means “Let us follow the better path”. Northcote High School encourages its students to do just that.