Victoria’s lost schools: Closed high schools, mergers, tech schools

Victoria has lost hundreds of beloved schools since the 1990s but the irreplaceable memories remain. See the map of all the lost schools.

More than 390 schools have closed in Victoria since 1990. Picture: Supplied.

Hundreds of Victorian public schools have closed their doors since 1990 due to a lack of student enrolments, mega school mergers and scathing government mandates.

Some schools disappeared quietly, while locals fought desperate battles to keep others alive, albeit temporarily for some.

Here is the full map of the lost public schools of Victoria.

Preston Technical School opened on St Georges Rd, Preston in 1937 and later became the largest technical school in the state.

Former student Robert Taylor remembered his school days fondly.

“I attended the school in the 60s, and have so many memories of camps or just messing about on the oval playing cricket,” he said.

“One year we went on camp to Nagambie and it was just soaking wet the whole time.”

Preston Technical School opened in 1937. Picture: Supplied

Mr Taylor, who still lives in Coburg, often walks past the St Georges Rd school site, which now forms part of the Melbourne Polytechnic campus.

“I have seen students walking around those buildings with the projects they have been making in class,” Mr Taylor said.

“I still have a wooden stool in the garage I built during my time at Preston Technical.”

The original school building is heritage listed. Picture: Supplied.

By 1990, Preston Technical had become the Preston Secondary College, and four years later it merged with Coburg High to become Coburg-Preston Secondary College.

The St George’s Rd site was closed.

This merger only lasted two years before the Coburg site also closed.

Mr Taylor said it was sad to have seen so many schools close in the Northern suburbs.

“Some of the schools have been demolished and you would never know a school ever used to be there,” he said.

“That must be sad for all the former students to have no where to look back on.”