150 years: Caulfield Primary School

Learn about the history of Caulfield Primary School, one of Victoria's oldest public schools.

Key information

Address:
724 Glen Huntly Road, Caulfield South, 3162
Opened:
1 June 1864
Closed:
31 December 1998
School type:
Primary
School number:
773
Other names:
Caulfield Common School, Caulfield State School

The history of Caulfield Primary School

  • 1864

    Caulfield opened as a common school in 1864.

    The head teacher was James Webb.

    There were 42 students when the school opened.

    It was located on the corner of Glenhuntly and Glen Eira Roads.

  • 1870s

    The school became a state school between 1873 and 1878.

    The school moved to a new location on Glenhuntly Road in 1877.

    There were 144 students at the time.

    The rail line was extended through Glenhuntly to Oakleigh in 1879. The meant that more families moved to Glenhuntly and more children went to the school.

  • 1888

    There were now 300 students going to the school.

    The school building was extended.

  • 1889

    There were 450 students going to the school. This was because a horse drawn tram in Glenhuntly Road now made it easier for children to get to the school.

    The head teacher was Thomas Smith in 1889.

  • 1900

    There were 580 students enrolled in 1900.

  • 1914

    Cable trams were now working in Hawthorn Road.

    The number of students at the school had almost reached 700.

  • 1922

    A new two-storey building was opened big enough for the 1221 students enrolled at the school.

  • 1969

    There were 480 students enrolled in 1969.

  • 1970

    The name of the school changed to Caulfield Primary School in 1970.

  • 1998

    Caulfield Primary School closed in 1998.

    It became a campus for Caulfield North Primary School (No. 3820).

Find more interesting facts about this school

The Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) is the archive of Victoria's State and local government. They look after some of our oldest school records, and we can use these records to help us understand what school life used to be like.

Now it's your turn to do some detective work. PROV currently only have paper records for this school. Take a look to see what info they have on this school.

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