Smith's Hill High School - History

History

In 1906, Wollongong Primary School began to offer primary vocational education courses for non-academic students. This included courses such as Household Accounts, Cookery, Laundry and Dressmaking. Five years later, in 1911, secondary courses were offered to academic students which allowed students to achieve the Intermediate Certificate and with further study, the Leaving Certificate.

A separate school for these courses was then established in 1916 under the name Wollongong Home Science School. This school was a single-sex education school for girls only and was based on a site in Smith Street, Wollongong. In 1957, the school relocated to its current location on the former site of Wollongong High School in Keira Street and then in 1958, was renamed to Smith's Hill Girls High School. The school then allowed non-academic students to achieve the Intermediate and Leaving Certificates.

During the 1970s, plans were underway to change the school into a comprehensive, co-educational High School and in 1979 the school was renamed Smith's Hill High School. In 1985, boys were enrolled in Years 7, 8, 9 and 11 drawing from feeder schools at Wollongong, Coniston and Mount St Thomas. By 1986, SHHS was completely co-educational from Years 7 through 12.

Then in 1988, the Department of Education decided to make the school a selective high school and from 1989 the annual Year Seven intake of students was to be filled through exam selections. The school has remained completely selective ever since.