Kawana Waters State College
Kawana Waters State College is a coeducational state-run primary/secondary school in the suburb of Bokarina. The College is situated
on the coastal strip between Mooloolaba and Caloundra, adjacent to Lake Kawana, on the Sunshine Coast, approximately 100 km north of Brisbane.
History
The senior campus of the school was opened on 28 January 1986 as Kawana Waters State High School, whilst the junior campus of the school was opened a year later on 27 January 1987. Effective from 1 January 2006, it merged with Bokarina State School, which was built in 1987, creating the P - 12 state school in its current form. The school still exists in it original campus buildings.Nomenclature
The school is named after Kawana Waters, an urban centre on the Queensland Sunshine Coast on which the school is located. In the 1960s, Alfred Grant, one of the initial developers of the region, named the area after "Kawana", an Aboriginal word, of unidentified dialect, meaning "wild flowers".Kawana Waters State High School was chosen as the college's post-amalgamation name through an extensive community consultation process before being approved by Rod Welford as Minister for Education. The name was launched by Chris Cummins at the 2006 Kawana Festival.
Administration
Staff
As of 2024, the school has a teaching staff of 165 and a non-teaching staff of 70.Principals
The current executive principal is Brett Burgess, who took over from Colin Allen-Waters. Some of the most recent principals have been:| Principal | Start | Official appointment | Finish |
| Brett Andrew Burgess | 2021 | 18 January 2024. | present |
| Colin Allen-Waters | 2015 | 11 May 2015 | 2021 |
| Paul Bradley Williamson | 2010 | 1 January 2011 | 2015 |
| John Lockhart | 2009 | 1 January 2010 | 2010 |
| Joanne Elizabeth House | 2006 | 3 July 2006 | 2008 |
- The date in which the appointment was converted from an acting role to an official appointment.
- Before 3 July 2006, House was the principal of Kawana Waters Senior Campus.
Students
Years
In 1986, the college, as Kawana Waters State High School, provided services for years 7 to 12. In 2006, it merged with Bokarina State School, a school which provided services for primary to year 7. This produced the school in its current form, teaching the initial prep year to year 12.Student enrolments
In 2023, Kawana Waters State College was reported to have a maximum student enrolment capacity of 1,863 students. The number of students entering Prep in any given year must not exceed 75 in 3 classrooms, unless there are more than 75 students enrolling from within the catchment area.The school's Programs of Excellence has the capacity to enrol:
- 104 students in the Arts Excellence Program of Excellence;
- 140 students in the Football Excellence Program of Excellence;
- 190 students in the Academic Curriculum Extension Program of Excellence;
- 198 students in the Aquatics Excellence Program of Excellence.
Sports
Football Excellence Program
The Football Excellence Program was established in 1999. This school was funded by fees, sport's organisation sponsorship and government grants. The football Excellence Program provided an opportunity for players to further develop their football and futsal skills, while working through theory elements of skill acquisition and game training based on the Australian Curriculum. The progam has an annual "Outstanding Player of the Year" award.External facilities
The College is set between the Pacific Ocean and the world class sports and rowing precincts of Sunshine Coast Stadium, Kawana Aquatics Centre and Lake Kawana. Sport related events for the school are held in the adjacent areas of Wurtulla Beach and Lake Kawana.Infrastructure
Environmental footprint
| year | Electricity usage | Water usage | Ref |
| year | kW | kL | Ref |
| 2008-2009 | 499,289 | 32,745 | |
| 2009-2010 | 457,263 | 26,604 | |
| 2010-2011 | 405,355 | 3,637 | |
| 2011-2012 | 408,203 | 4,450 | |
| 2012-2013 | 401,613 | 6,200 | |
| 2013-2014 | 404,348 | 3,707 | |
| 2014-2015 | 433,865 | 4,378 |
Cultural diversity
Indigenous
The school is located on the traditional Country of the Undumbi people, a coastal subgroup of the broader Kabi Kabi tribal nation.Multiculturalism
The recent trends in multicultural composition been:| Year | Indigenous | LBOTE | Ref |
| 2014 | 5% | 6% | |
| 2015 | 5% | 7% | |
| 2016 | 5% | 9% | |
| 2017 | 4% | 9% | |
| 2018 | 4% | 10% | |
| 2019 | 4% | 10% | |
| 2020 | 6% | 7% | |
| 2021 | 6% | 7% | |
| 2022 | 6% | 9% | |
| 2023 | 7% | 9% | |
| 2024 | 6% | 10% | |
| 2025 | TBA | TBA |
Sports
Houses
The school's five sports houses are named after bodies of water around Australia:| House name | Body of water | Mascot | Colour | Ref |
| Coral | Coral Sea | Stingray | Red | |
| Pacific | Pacific Ocean | Swordfish | Blue | |
| Tasman | Tasman Sea | Sharks | Yellow |
Voting booth venue
The school has been a venue for various state elections and referendums, hosted in the school's "Innovation Hall", including:| Date | Event | District | Booth name | Ref |
| 17 May 2025 | Federal election | Fisher | Kawana Waters | |
| 26 October 2024 | State election | Kawana | Kawana Waters | |
| 16 March 2024 | Council elections | Sunshine Coast Region - Division 3 | Kawana Waters | |
| 14 October 2023 | National referendum | Fisher | Kawana Waters | |
| 21 May 2022 | Federal election | Fisher | Kawana Waters | |
| 31 October 2020 | State election | Caloundra | Kawana Waters | |
| 18 May 2019 | Federal election | Fisher | Kawana Waters | |
| 2 July 2016 | Federal election | Fisher | Kawana Waters | |
| 19 March 2016 | State referendum | Kawana | Kawana Waters | |
| 31 January 2015 | State election | Caloundra | Kawana Waters | |
| 21 August 2010 | Federal election | Fisher | Kawana Waters | |
| 9 September 2006 | State elections | Kawana | Kawana Waters |
Alumni
| Name | Achievement | Ref |
| Emmanuel Byrd | Football Player |