Canberra Grammar School is a major independent Anglican school located in the suburb of Red Hill in Australia’s capital city. Founded in 1929, it grew out of the earlier Monaro Grammar School in Cooma, which was relocated to Canberra during the establishment of the new national capital. The foundation stone was laid in 1928 and the school opened with just over sixty students. Over the decades it expanded rapidly in line with Canberra’s growth and today educates more than two thousand boys and girls from early learning through to Year 12.
The school occupies several linked campuses, with the Red Hill site serving as the main base for both junior and senior students. Its grounds include heritage buildings from the early years of the school, contemporary learning facilities, specialist academic centres and the recently developed Snow Concert Hall. The northside and southside campuses provide additional early years learning environments, giving the school a broad footprint across the city.
Canberra Grammar offers one of the most comprehensive academic pathways in the region. The primary years combine the Australian Curriculum with the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, while the senior years provide a dual qualification structure in which students may choose either the New South Wales Higher School Certificate or the International Baccalaureate Diploma. This mix of national and international options has become a defining feature of the school’s educational offering.
Co curricular life is central to the character of the school. Students take part in a wide range of activities, including sport, outdoor education, music, debating, robotics, community service and a large number of specialist clubs. Ensemble music, drama productions and overseas performance tours form an important part of the school’s culture. The sporting programme spans traditional and modern disciplines and the school competes within the Associated Southern Colleges network.
Boarding has played a long standing role at Canberra Grammar. The residential houses on the Red Hill campus accommodate students from across Australia and overseas, supported by structured pastoral systems and close links with the academic programme. The house system, which includes senior, Year 7 and junior houses, remains a core pillar of school identity and contributes to the sense of community across the year groups.
Notable alumni include leaders in public life, academia, sport, journalism, the arts and business, reflecting the school’s long history within the educational and cultural life of Canberra. Today the school continues to combine its Anglican foundations with a modern international outlook, positioning itself as one of the leading co educational schools in the Australian Capital Territory.