Ballarat High School

Ballarat High School is a government secondary school located in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Buildings and grounds The school was originally opened on 16 April 1907 as a Continuation School located at 208 Sturt Street (directly opposite the Ballarat Town Hall). This initial location was due to the need to make alterations to the Dana Street Primary school building. Initially, 37 students were enrolled. In September 1907, the school moved to a building attached to Dana Street Primary School which allowed for a larger enrolment and more staff. In March 1909, it was announced that the foundation stone of the Agricultural College would be laid that month. In April 1910, the Ballarat Continuation School moved to its present site at the corner of Sturt and Gillies streets, Lake Gardens. The new building cost around 10,000 pounds to construct (approximately $1.3 million in 2018 terms) with a further 1000 pounds for fittings and fixtures. The school then became known as the Ballarat Agricultural High School. Many buildings were constructed around the grounds for the farm, including a concrete silo which still stands today and is listed on the Heritage Council of Victoria's register. In July 1915, the new building was almost completely destroyed by a fire. The building was rebuilt over the next 18 months and classes resumed at the start of the 1917 school year. During the time between the fire and classes resuming, students were housed in various locations across Ballarat including the Lydiard Street Methodist Sunday School, St Pauls Hall in Ballarat East, the School of Mines, Humffray Street State School and the Ballarat East Town Hall.