Location and Characteristics

Rockhampton State High School was opened in 1919 and moved to its present site near the Rockhampton Showgrounds in 1960. It is one of the three state high schools in the provincial city of Rockhampton and provides compulsory and post compulsory secondary education programs to a student population of over 1000 students.

As the school is the only state secondary facility on the southern side of the city, it draws its student population from families of diverse economic and vocational backgrounds. The diversity includes nearby Gracemere which has seen urban development along with semi-rural properties and small farming communities extending to Gogango in the west and to Bajool and Marmor in the south. Over 600 students rely on bus transport.

Approximately twelve per cent of our students are Indigenous and the local clan is the Darumbal people. The school has strong partnerships with the local Indigenous organisations.

Rockhampton State High connects with the primary schools on the southern side of town which include: The Hall, Marmor, Allenstown, Crescent Lagoon, Bajool, Gracemere and Waraburra. There are strong connections based on shared learning programs and resources and joint professional development activities.

Enrolment trends over the last three years have been:

Year Yr 8 Yr 9 Yr 10 Yr 11 Yr 12 Total

2005 274 244 233 202 140 1093

2006 270 271 236 210 135 1123

2007 238 267 259 185 157 1106

School Facilities

The school has a mix of sixties brick and timber buildings with nineties constructed Administration, Manual Arts and Performing Arts complexes. Major refurbishment programs in 2001 resulted in the construction of a new senior learning centre, art technology centre, canteen, amenities block and recreational precinct. The program also included the refurbishment of a number of classrooms and laboratories. Under the Cooler Schools program, the entire school has been air conditioned.

The school has three ovals – a track and field oval, a rugby league oval and an all purpose oval. These include all weather cricket nets and basketball courts. Two of the ovals are floodlit. The entire school grounds are watered by inground sprinkling systems.

We are fortunate to have a number of sporting venues in close proximity to the school. These include:

· Victoria Park – ruby league, tennis courts, lawn bowls and gymnastics.

· Hegvold Stadium – basketball

· Memorial Swimming Pool – Olympic size

· Squash courts and netball courts

All of these facilities are within an easy walk from the school.

The school also has an Assembly Hall and a Performing Arts Theatre which are widely used by the community. The school has its own farm on site where Braham Stud cattle are bred. There are horticultural plots, hydroponic facilities and modern farm machinery.

Technology

Rockhampton State High School currently has 270 student accessible computers, giving a ratio of 1 computer for every 4 students within the school. These are distributed between seven full size computer labs, library and several smaller pods, all of which have full access to the internet and student email facilities. All computers are connected via a high speed network to several servers. Students work is backed up nightly using the latest Hewlett Packard tape drive utility.

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