Killara High School


Killara High School is a coeducational public secondary school. Located on Koola Avenue in East Killara, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1968, Killara High School is one of the highest performing comprehensive non-selective public schools in the state. The success of the school in the Higher School Certificate and its reputation as a school with an extensive program of curriculum enrichment make the school highly desirable. Activities such as music, art, dance, drama, debating, sport and strong participation in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme are included in the co-curricular program. Enrolment rose 21% from 2002 to a population of 1400 students in 2009. It now has 1580 students. Currently, accepted catchment areas include Roseville, Lindfield, East Lindfield, West Killara, Killara, East Killara, West Gordon and East Gordon.

History

Killara High began construction in 1968 and was completed in 1970. The school facilitated the growing demands of the community in the newly created East Killara. Most of the students who went to Killara in the first years were the eldest in their family, as those with older siblings went to their school, rather than the newly built Killara.
In the 1980s, Killara High purchased a house occupying a corner of the school area, which later became the language centre, commonly referred to as "The House". The House has since been demolished making way for a new block of classrooms.

Crest and motto

The name: "Killara, an Aboriginal word meaning permanent"
The castle: A permanent place, shelter and reassurance, a means of maintaining that which is worthy of preservation, a storehouse of knowledge
The key: It is a symbol of progression, which opens doors of learning. It is also an emblem of growth and development into adulthood
The escutcheon: Provide protection, a pivoted keyhole cover
The motto:, symbolises preservation of the best of the past and continued development into the future

Principal

Dr Mark Carter, a local boy and former student of the school, was the principal from 2002 until 2013. He won the state school regional principal of the year award in 2005.
As a child, he attended Gordon East PS. In September 2013 he was promoted to Director, Public Schools with the Department of Education.
Deputy Principal Judith Paszek served as Acting Principal until April 2014.
In Term 2 2014, Ms Jane Dennett was appointed as the new principal. She was previously a teacher in the HSIE Faculty at Killara, but had more recently served as Deputy Principal at Pennant Hills High School.
In Term 3 2021, when Jane Dennett left Killara, Mr Robin Chand was appointed as the new principal. He was previously a teacher and a Deputy Principal in the HSIE Faculty at Killara, but had more recently served as Acting Principal.
At the end of Term 1 2025, when Robin Chand left Killara, David Browne had been the Relieving Principal for Terms 2 and 3 2025 until Ingrid Koodrin wasappointed as the new Principal.

Campus

Killara High School is set on 3.8 hectares of prime bushland, half the area allocated to a typical high school in the region. The school comprises seven blocks, with the school canteen located in C block, and the library in E block. Each block contains around the same number of classrooms as found at other North Shore public high schools. The school's Lion Library is named after North Sydney Technical High School's library. When NSTHS closed in 1969, the contents of their library formed the beginning of the new KHS collection. Other facilities include the Kerrabee Centre, which comprises a large hall capable of seating more than 1000 people and a 250-seat performance theatre with state-of-the-art sound and lighting, a small oval named jubilee, four multi-purpose courts, a large quadrangle, and a small residential buildings called the house, which has since been demolished to build a new block. Koola Oval across the road is often used for sport and PE classes, and it can be used by students during some lunch breaks.
Capital works since 2003 have resulted in the installation of security fencing, and five COLAs built around the school, grounds enhancements, upgrades to science laboratories, classrooms and the construction of studios above the canteen. With enrollment rising at the school, the number of demountable classrooms increased from four to eighteen, with an extra two demountable bathroom blocks also put in. These demountable classrooms and bathrooms have been removed to enlarge jubilee oval. Following a period of intensive work by the school and its Parents & Citizens Association, money was allocated in the 2012 NSW Budget to construct a new building at the school. G block opened in 2014, containing specialist technology and art rooms, and a number of general learning spaces. This has reduced the number of demountable classrooms to six.

Curriculum

Achievements

The school has consistently ranked among the highest performers in the NSW Higher School Certificate. In 2015 14 Killara High School students were placed on the All Rounders List for achieving the top band in ten or more units of study. 32% of the cohort received an ATAR above 90. Killara High remains one of the highest performing public comprehensive high schools in the Sydney Morning Herald's ranking list. In 2015, Killara was ranked 55th in the HSC ranking list in NSW. In 2014 the school had been ranked 64th.
Killara High was the best-performing public comprehensive top non-selective government school in the state for years 2000–2007, 2009–2011, 2013–2015 and 2022 by HSC performance.

Faculties

Teaching at Killara High School is divided amongst 10 curriculum departments, each teaching a variety of related Board of Studies endorsed subjects. The departments are:
  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Languages including Chinese, French, German, Hebrew and Japanese
  • Human Society & its Environment including Commerce, Business Studies, Economics, Aboriginal Studies and Geography
  • Human Society & its Environment including History and Legal Studies
  • Creative and Performing Arts including Music and Visual Arts
  • Technological and Applied Studies, including Engineering Studies, Design & Technology, Industrial Technology, Food Technology, Textiles & Design and Hospitality
  • Personal Development, Health and Physical Education
  • Computing Studies & IT

    Curriculum enrichment activities

Sport

Students in Years 7 and 8 at Killara High participate in an integrated sport program coordinated and taught by PDHPE staff, and compete in a number of Sport Gala Days with other schools.
Senior students from Years 9 to 11 also participate in sport throughout the year. These years participate in the Ku-ring-gai Zone Secondary School Sports against other schools. This is known as grade sport, or students may choose a recreational sport. These events are held on Thursday afternoons
The School also holds various carnivals during the year this includes:
  • Swimming Carnival
  • Athletics Carnival
  • Cross Country Carnival
Students may also compete in the Combined High Schools competition in various sports throughout the year

Specialist wellbeing programs and camps

  • Year 7 – Year 7 Orientation Camp with Year 11 Peer Support Leaders running the program "DOB"
  • Year 8 – Resolution the Solution: a whole day program focusing on strategies for managing conflict
  • Year 9 – Year 9 Camp at Stanwell Tops: running the program Talking Tolerance, focusing on acceptance of difference, generalising and stereotyping
  • Year 10 – It's Your Life and It's Your Training. This includes goal setting, motivation, skills development, personal defence, communication, student leadership training and peer support training. Year 10 also participate in work experience and service learning.
  • Year 11 – Jindabyne Camp, where the Crossroads program, focusing on personal challenges, teamwork, personal development, independence as well as discussions of issues related to drug and alcohol use is run.
The school is a participant in the Australian Government MindMatters program, which focuses on wellbeing and mental health.

Student leadership

Killara High School offers many opportunities for students to engage in leadership within the school. There are currently seven leadership groups in the school, with more than 115 students engaged in improving the school and providing opportunities for the students. These include:
  • The Arts Council – Students elected by peers to promote the Arts within the school.
  • The Sports Council – Students elected by peers to promote sporting activities within the school.
  • Light & Sound Team – A small number of students in Years 7 to 10 who provide technical support and design for assemblies & performances. The team is self-nominated. It is coordinated by Tim Collins in the CAPA faculty.
  • The Student Representative Council – A peer-elected group of students from all years who liaise with teachers and the principal to represent their year group and help their school through by introducing new facilities and improving old facilities. They also hold activities as mufti days and barbecues, as well as hosting a variety of pizza based polls on their website.
  • The Social Justice Committee – A student body with representatives from all years elected to be the "conscience" of the school. They engage in awareness campaigns and charity fundraising. Recently, the committee has been involved in raising funds for The Leukaemia Foundation, by running The World's Greatest Shave, Canteen, a charity supporting children facing cancer by selling bandanas and The Salvation Army by collecting non perishable edible items from home groups for people who can't afford them. The SJC has raised awareness for causes such as International Women's Day, International Men's Day, and Earth Hour.
  • Prefects – A peer–elected group of Year 11 students who liaise with teachers and the principal as well as being involved in their signature charities such as the Red Cross Appeal and The Westmead Children's Hospital Teddy Bear's Picnic. Prefects represent the school at a number of events.
  • Student Leaders Council – Is a group comprising two representatives from each Council, and the School Captains, who chair the meetings. Its role is to organise the groups and provide a body for inter-council activities.