University High School, Melbourne

Secondary school in Melbourne, Australia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The University High School (abbreviated as UHS or Uni High) is an Australian government-funded and co-educational secondary day school in the suburb of Parkville, Victoria.[3][4] As of 2024, the school has over 1,900 students and is experiencing high demand for new enrolments.[5] As a result, the Victorian Department of Education only allows students inside the designated school zone to be admitted.[6]

Coordinates37°47′50″S 144°57′19″E
TypeGovernment-funded co-educational secondary day school
MottoLatin: Strenue Ac Fideliter
(With Zeal and Loyalty)
Established1910; 116 years ago (1910)[1]
Quick facts The University High School, Location ...
The University High School
North Building
Location
77 Story Street, Parkville, Victoria

Australia
Coordinates37°47′50″S 144°57′19″E
Information
TypeGovernment-funded co-educational secondary day school
MottoLatin: Strenue Ac Fideliter
(With Zeal and Loyalty)
Established1910; 116 years ago (1910)[1]
PrincipalNick Scott
Years7–12
Enrolment1,915 (2024)[2]
Houses  Coleman
  Gulam
  Johnston
  Triggs
ColoursGreen, white and tan    
Websiteunihigh.vic.edu.au
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History and tradition

The University High School traces its origins to 1910 when it was established in Carlton as the University Practising School, associated with The University of Melbourne's teacher training program.[3][4][7] It initially occupied a refurbished primary school building on Lygon Street, Carlton, with the dual role of educating secondary students and training Diploma of Education candidates from the university.[8]

When World War I broke out in 1914, dozens of senior students and recent graduates volunteered to enlist, and a number of teachers also joined the armed forces.[9]

By 1929, the school moved to a new purpose-built campus, in Story Street, Parkville, where it still is. The historic main building (opened 1930) is now heritage-listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.[8]

During World War II, the school's oval was requisitioned as a camp for United States Army troops, and students from MacRobertson Girls' High School were temporarily accommodated at University High when their own school was also occupied by military personnel.[10]

Portraits of students who served in WWI and banners of the former school houses on display

The student population continued to expand after World War II. To meet this demand, in 1960 plans were drawn up to continue expanding the campus including the construction of a hall, gymnasium, and associated facilities. The proposed additions were subsequently completed in 1965.[3][4] In 1981, Uni High pioneered an acceleration program for gifted students, one of the first programs of its kind in Australia.[11][12][13][14]

University High School students in a history class, 1930s

To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the school, in 1960, it published its first formal history, under the title A City Built to Music: The History of University High School, 1910–1960, a volume that documented the schools foundation, growth and early traditions.[4] Half a century later, on the occasion of its centenary in 2010, a second official history was commissioned from historian Caroline Rasmussen and published as A Whole New World: 100 Years of Education at The University High School. This latter work covered the evolution of the school across an entire century. This text also reflected on the place of the school within the city that had developed around it.[3]

Student life and culture

The school does not have a uniform, an uncommon policy among Australian secondary schools. Students wear appropriate attire of their choice.[15][16]

The school has clubs and activities. Lunchtimes typically feature games in the library, environmental gardening, robotics club, dance rehearsals, and meetings of academic, creative and special-interest groups.[17]

The student-produced magazine is Ubique (pronounced oo-bee-kweh), first published in 1946.[18]

House structure

The school is divided into four houses (also referred to as sub-schools), each with its own colour, name and student leadership team.[19] In 2018, the houses were renamed to honour alumni. The four houses are:[20][21]

Academics

Uni High seeks to maintain a reputation for academic excellence.[22] The 2024 academic year reinforced this tradition with the largest graduating Year 12 cohort in the school’s history.[22]

  • 11 students achieved an ATAR of 99 or higher, with two students sharing the position of Dux on an ATAR of 99.9.
  • 90 students (28.7%) achieved an ATAR of 90 or above.
  • The median ATAR was 80.3, with 51.3% of students (161 in total) attaining an ATAR of 80 or higher.

Within the Elizabeth Blackburn Sciences program, the school’s selective-entry science stream, 25% of students attained ATARs of 95 or higher, with a mean ATAR of 85.2, underscoring the success of the program in fostering high achievement in STEM.[22]

Campuses

As of 2025, Uni High has two campuses.[23] The (main) campus at 77 Story Street in Parkville caters for Year 7, Year 8, Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12 students. This campus is adjacent to the University of Melbourne and near the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. The second (new) campus is at 399 Lonsdale Street in Melbourne's Central Business District and is set up for Year 9 students.[24]

Lonsdale Street Campus

The University High School's Lonsdale Street Campus for Year 9 students was opened in Term 1, 2025, under a seven-year lease by the Victorian Department of Education.[24]

Story Street Campus

Public transport links at the Story Street campus include the tram route 19 on Royal Parade, and access to the new Parkville train station, with the Metro Tunnel now open.[25] The main campus is made up of several distinct areas.

North Building - At Story Street, the North Building (main building) was constructed in 1930 during the Great Depression.[8] It connects with the West Building and Music Wing, which spans three levels, and contains rooms numbered 100 through 405. It includes offices, classrooms and a performance centre.

South Building - On the opposite side of the courtyard stands the South Building, a four-storey block added and expanded in stages from the 1960s to 2007. This includes the library, classrooms and science laboratories.

West Building - The West Wing is the smallest of the buildings, but is conjoined with the Music Wing. The Music Wing consists of music classrooms, composition classrooms, practice rooms and the Music Office. Rooms in the West and Music wings are numbered as part of the 100s and 200s as they are connected to the North Building.

Portables - In 2021, portable classrooms were added to the campus to increase the school's capacity after the temporary closure (due to fire) of the South Building and the rising student enrolment numbers.[26] There are 12 portables that sit around the perimeter of the oval and they are numbered from rooms 1001 through 1012.

Sharman Hall + Canteen & Gymnasium - Sharman Hall is the school’s assembly and performance hall, used for whole-school gatherings, musicals and public events. The hall is named after a long-serving principal of the school. It adjoins the Gymnasium and Canteen Complex that contains a full indoor sports court (upstairs) and the student canteen and cafeteria area downstairs. The canteen level provides additional indoor seating and locker space. The gymnasium supports court sports and physical education classes.

Art and Technology Building - The Art and Technology Building is a three-storey building (800s and 900s classrooms).

Music Wing - The Music Wing includes a suite of classrooms designed for ensemble rehearsals, theory instruction and music technology, together with a number of sound-proofed practice rooms.

EBS Building - The Elizabeth Blackburn School of Sciences building was opened in 2014.[27][28][29] It includes university-style lecture theatres, laboratories, collaborative study areas and its own resource centre.[30]

GTAC Centre - The Gene Technology Access Centre (GTAC) is a genetics and biology laboratory complex built in 2004 in partnership with the Victorian state government and various research institutes.[31] GTAC is used by Uni High students and is a science outreach facility for school students across Victoria.[32]

Notable alumni

Academic

Business and government

Media, entertainment and the arts

Military

Politics and the law

Sport

Others

List of principals

The principal is Nick Scott.[42]

More information Officeholder, Period ...
Officeholder Period Notes
Leslie J. Wrigley[3][4][7] 1910 – 1914 First principal
Matthew S. Sharman[3][4] 1914 – 24 April 1941 Longest serving principal
Leslie R. Brookes[3][4] 24 April 1941 – 1951
Robert E. Chapman[3][4] 1952 – 1960
George W. Ellis[3][7] 1961 – 1969
Gordon M. Williamson[3][7] 1969
Graeme Hayter[3][7] 1970 – 1971 Acting principal
Jack Clark[3][7] 1972 – 1985
Peter D. A. Bryce[3] 1986 – 1996
Bronwyn Valente[3][7] 1997 – 1 April 2005
Robert Newton 18 April 2005 – 18 September 2015
Heather Thompson 5 October 2015 – 2020
Noel Creece 2020 – June 2020 Acting principal
Ciar Foster June 2020 – April 2025
Arthur Soumalias April 2025 - July 2025 Acting principal
Nick Scott[42] July 2025 -
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Further reading

  • Hoy, Alice (1961). A City Built to Music. Parkville: University High School.
  • Rasmussen, Carolyn (2010). A Whole New World: 100 Years of Education at University High School. North Melbourne: Australian Scholarly Publishing.

External links

See also

References

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