Merrimac State High School
Merrimac State High School is a public high school in Mermaid Waters. The school falls within Division 12 of Gold Coast council.
Motto
The motto pf the school is "Pride in Excellence", which is featured on the school's crest.Administration
Staff
As of 2025, the school has a teaching staff of 84 and a non-teaching staff of 51.Principals
In 1979, the first principal of the school was Brian Hallewell. As of 2026, the current principal is Rachel Cutajar. Recent principals have included:Students
Years
In 2015, Anna Bligh's state-wide "Flying Start" program was officially implemented to align Queensland with the other states by transferring year 7 into the high school system, meaning that in 2015 Merrimac State High School started catering for years 7 - 12.Student enrolments
In 2023, Merrimac State High School was reported to have a maximum student enrolment capacity of 1,492 students.The trend in school enrolments has been:-
Sports
Houses
The school's four sports houses dervied the name from various Australian native animals and the translation of the names of those animals into the local indigenous language.| House Name | Mascot | Colour | Surnames | Ref |
| Pigin Turtles | Turtle | Red | A - E | |
| Mibunn Eagles | Eagle | Yellow | F - L | |
| Bowai Sharks | Shark | Blue | M - Q | |
| Ngurun Dingoes | Dingo | White | R - Z |
Notable alumni
Sports
| Name | Graduation Date | Sport | Achievement | Ref |
| Marcus Ashcroft | 1988 | Australian rules football | Former professional Australian rules footballer for Brisbane Bears and Brisbane Lions, and Gold Coast football coaching panel member. The Marcus Ashcroft Medal is named after him. | |
| Caine Eckstein | 2002 | Surf lifesaving | Ironman champion | |
| Grant Hackett | 1997 | Swimming | Former professional Australian swimmer, gold medallist and world record holder, former "Regan Funds Management" Director, and current chief executive officer of "Generation Life". | |
| Trevor Hendy | 1986 | Surf lifesaving | Ironman Champion and professional kayaker | |
| Steven McLuckie | 1990 | Australian rules football | Former Australian rules footballer for Brisbane Bears, 1993 Queensland-Northern Territory State of Origin squad member, 2000 Joe Grant Medal winner, and Gold Coast school principal. | |
| Amber Pilley | 2014 | Australian rugby league footballer | Center for both the Brisbane Broncos Women's Team and Indigenous All Stars. | |
| Ricky Petterd | 2005 | Australian rules football | Former Australian rules football player Melbourne Football Club and Richmond Football Club. |
Entertainment
| Name | Graduation date | Achievement | Ref |
| Pete Evans | 1990 | Chef, author, and My Kitchen Rules judge |