For more than a century, our schools were run exclusively by the charity of the Catholic Church and the generosity of their local parish communities.
Rising populations fueled by the Baby Boom and post-WWII migration prompted the government to introduce funding for Church schools during the late 1960’s as a way to cope with the unprecedented growth in student population.
Sydney Catholic Schools celebrated 200 years of Catholic education in Australia in 2021.
Today, we have 147 schools across the Archdiocese of Sydney to ensure families have access to a low-fee Catholic education that provides the skills and knowledge children need for their future careers.
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1800s
Catholic priests established schools from the first decades of European settlement in Australia. Parramatta Marist High, now located in the Diocese of Parramatta, became the first Sydney Catholic school in 1820.
St Mary's Cathedral College Sydney swiftly followed, established by one of Australia’s earliest pioneers of education Fr John Therry. -
1900 - 1970
The Catholic school population more than doubled in the 1950s due to the ‘baby boom’ and Federal Government’s immigration program.
The first seeds for a systemic approach to Catholic schooling were sown in 1965, when a newly established Catholic Building and Finance Commission took financial control of all parish primary and regional secondary schools.
There was a teacher shortage and funds were needed to build more schools to accommodate burgeoning enrollments. A breakthrough came in 1968, when the government provided funding of $12-18 for each Catholic school student. -
1970 - 1980
The new funding allowed schools to reduce class sizes and improve facilities. By 1975, about 80 per cent of Catholic schools in Sydney were systemic.
The Sydney Archdiocese’s first lay principal was appointed in 1973 and five new schools opened in 1979, a sign the struggles of the previous two decades had eased. -
1980 - 1990
By the 1980’s the Sydney Archdiocese held more than 300 schools. The number lowered in 1986 when the Archdiocese was split to form two additional dioceses: Broken Bay and Parramatta.
By 1989, half of all students attending Sydney Catholic schools had a language background other than English. -
1990- 2000
The 1990s were a positive decade for Sydney Catholic schools thanks to strong academic achievement and a teacher salary boost.
In 1995, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Catholic schools HSC results were better than their government school peers.
Catholic School teachers won the right to be paid the same as public school teachers in 1996. Another milestone came two years later, when Catholic school students sat their first formal religious exam in more than 30 years. -
2000- 2010
A strong sense of community bloomed when SCS students participated in major events including the first ever Catholic Schools Week and Corroboree 2000 Walk for Reconciliation.
The Jubilee 2000 Spectacular acknowledged 2000 years since Jesus’ birth. SCS students were among 7,000 that told the story of Christianity through song, drama, and dance to a peer audience of more than 80,000 at the event.
From this experience, Sydney Catholic Schools’ exceptional creative and performing arts program was born. -
2010 - 2020
In 2010, Southern Cross Catholic College Burwood became the first dedicated vocational education college in the Archdiocese. Eileen O'Connor Catholic College, the first Sydney Catholic school for students with moderate intellectual disabilities and complex learning needs, opened in 2016. Four previously single-sex colleges shifted to co-education.
That same year, the Catholic Education Office Sydney was renamed Sydney Catholic Schools to emphasise each school's place at the heart of the organisation's vision and mission.
In 2018, Sydney Catholic Schools was incorporated into a Charitable Trust, and became known as Sydney Catholic Schools Ltd. -
2020 - now
Sydney Catholic Schools embraced rapid change in the first part of the decade, with a system-wide focus on greater equity and inclusion in its sport and arts offerings.
A total of 35,600 orchestral instruments were provided to students in Years 3 to 8 at all Sydney Catholic schools and primary schools received additional music resources by 2024 under the ground-breaking Amadeus Music Education Program.
St Mary's Cathedral College Sydney began the transformation to a dual-campus, co-educational school in 2024, its bicentenary year.
St Vincent's College Ashfield embraced a K-12 co-educational model in 2023 through school amalgamations and expanded offerings. Corpus Christi College Maroubra became the only Catholic co-educational high school in Sydney’s eastern suburbs that same year.
The three catholic high schools in the Sutherland Shire – Our Lady of Mercy College Burraneer, De La Salle College Caringbah and the newly renamed St Aloysius College Cronulla – became a unique education precinct with a shared HSC enrichment program in 2024. Each expanded to provide the community with both coeducational and single-sex school choices for their sons and daughters.
1800s
Catholic priests established schools from the first decades of European settlement in Australia. Parramatta Marist High, now located in the Diocese of Parramatta, became the first Sydney Catholic school in 1820.
St Mary’s Cathedral College Sydney swiftly followed, established by one of Australia’s earliest pioneers of education Fr John Therry.
1900 – 1970
The Catholic school population more than doubled in the 1950s due to the ‘baby boom’ and Federal Government’s immigration program.
The first seeds for a systemic approach to Catholic schooling were sown in 1965, when a newly established Catholic Building and Finance Commission took financial control of all parish primary and regional secondary schools.
There was a teacher shortage and funds were needed to build more schools to accommodate burgeoning enrollments. A breakthrough came in 1968, when the government provided funding of $12-18 for each Catholic school student.
1970 – 1980
The new funding allowed schools to reduce class sizes and improve facilities. By 1975, about 80 per cent of Catholic schools in Sydney were systemic.
The Sydney Archdiocese’s first lay principal was appointed in 1973 and five new schools opened in 1979, a sign the struggles of the previous two decades had eased.
1980 – 1990
By the 1980’s the Sydney Archdiocese held more than 300 schools. The number lowered in 1986 when the Archdiocese was split to form two additional dioceses: Broken Bay and Parramatta.
By 1989, half of all students attending Sydney Catholic schools had a language background other than English.
1990- 2000
The 1990s were a positive decade for Sydney Catholic schools thanks to strong academic achievement and a teacher salary boost.
In 1995, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Catholic schools HSC results were better than their government school peers.
Catholic School teachers won the right to be paid the same as public school teachers in 1996. Another milestone came two years later, when Catholic school students sat their first formal religious exam in more than 30 years.
2000- 2010
A strong sense of community bloomed when SCS students participated in major events including the first ever Catholic Schools Week and Corroboree 2000 Walk for Reconciliation.
The Jubilee 2000 Spectacular acknowledged 2000 years since Jesus’ birth. SCS students were among 7,000 that told the story of Christianity through song, drama, and dance to a peer audience of more than 80,000 at the event.
From this experience, Sydney Catholic Schools’ exceptional creative and performing arts program was born.
2010 – 2020
In 2010, Southern Cross Catholic College Burwood became the first dedicated vocational education college in the Archdiocese. Eileen O’Connor Catholic College, the first Sydney Catholic school for students with moderate intellectual disabilities and complex learning needs, opened in 2016. Four previously single-sex colleges shifted to co-education.
That same year, the Catholic Education Office Sydney was renamed Sydney Catholic Schools to emphasise each school’s place at the heart of the organisation’s vision and mission.
In 2018, Sydney Catholic Schools was incorporated into a Charitable Trust, and became known as Sydney Catholic Schools Ltd.
2020 – now
Sydney Catholic Schools embraced rapid change in the first part of the decade, with a system-wide focus on greater equity and inclusion in its sport and arts offerings.
A total of 35,600 orchestral instruments were provided to students in Years 3 to 8 at all Sydney Catholic schools and primary schools received additional music resources by 2024 under the ground-breaking Amadeus Music Education Program.
St Mary’s Cathedral College Sydney began the transformation to a dual-campus, co-educational school in 2024, its bicentenary year.
St Vincent’s College Ashfield embraced a K-12 co-educational model in 2023 through school amalgamations and expanded offerings. Corpus Christi College Maroubra became the only Catholic co-educational high school in Sydney’s eastern suburbs that same year.
The three catholic high schools in the Sutherland Shire – Our Lady of Mercy College Burraneer, De La Salle College Caringbah and the newly renamed St Aloysius College Cronulla – became a unique education precinct with a shared HSC enrichment program in 2024. Each expanded to provide the community with both coeducational and single-sex school choices for their sons and daughters.