Swan Hill Primary School (School No. 1142, previously known as Rural School No. 60 1871-1872, Swan Hill State School 1872 – c.1950s, also known as Swan Hill Higher Elementary School 1919 – c.1977)

Swan Hill Primary School (School no. 1142) is located on the traditional land of the Wamba Wamba people in Swan Hill, in the Loddon-Mallee region of Victoria. It is a co-education school serving children in years Prep-6, with approximately 500 students enrolled as of 2020.

First established as Rural School No. 60 in 1871, approximately 15 pupils were enrolled during the first year of operation. The school building at the time was a vacant timber hotel with six rooms, which was leased for £24 pounds per year and served as a schoolroom, teacher’s residence, and Presbyterian place of worship. The school became Swan Hill State School No. 1142 on 1^st February 1872, however in November it closed for several months due to the resignation of the Head Teacher. It re-opened with a new Head Teacher and 35 pupils in another temporary building in April 1873; the local weatherboard Court House.

By June the following year, a report from the District Inspector stated that a new school building was “urgently needed” as the current site was too small and attendance at the school was declining “on account of having no proper building”. Many parents refused to send their children to the “discomfort of the Court House” during periods of bad weather or high temperatures.

A new brick school house with attached teacher’s residence was built and opened in 1876, with 57 pupils attending. The school population continued to rise, with 185 pupils by 1897 – however, there were no further accommodations provided to cater for the growing numbers, and overcrowding became an issue once again. In 1900, the main brick building was badly damaged in a fire that destroyed much of the school, compounding the issue. Classes were held in the nearby skating rink, which had had to have ‘a few tons’ of barley removed to accommodate the school. Some classes began moving back into classrooms over the following weeks, but not before parents protested and once again refused to send their children to school in a ‘cold, inhospitable area’.

Three new buildings were established in 1901, then in 1913 a new teacher’s residence was built to free up more space in the original brick schoolhouse; another rise in attendance in 1915 prompted the erection of an additional building. In 1917, the school began offering higher elementary classes, and in 1919 these became a higher Elementary School with a full program. During the 1920s, the school ran special evening classes in Domestic Science in the cookery centre. Overcrowding was once again an issue, however, with further extensions not meeting the increasing number of pupils.

On 23 September 1938, a new school building was opened on McCrea Street, and at the beginning of 1950 the former State School 4053 Haysdale was moved to Swan hill to provide further accommodation for classes. In 1954 and 1961 further additions were added to relieve overcrowding, which was further resolved with the opening of Swan Hill North Primary School in 1958.

By 2009, the school had 550 students enrolled, spread across 25 classes. As of 2024 it remains in operation.