Suburbs previously cut from CBD high school zones return for 2024 school year

A huge swath of suburbs cut from the Adelaide CBD school zones have been reinstated – as the Botanic High expansion is greenlit. See the map here.

Suburbs previously cut from the shared CBD school zones, including Adelaide High and Adelaide Botanic High, will be restored from 2024.

The updated shared zone will apply to new year 7 students from the beginning of 2024 and won’t affect current students.

“From next year in 2023, families in those suburbs cut by the Liberal government in 2019 will be able to apply to have their children go to either Adelaide High or Adelaide Botanic High,” Minister for education, Blair Boyer said.

Mr Boyer said the government was certain extra capacity being added to Botanic High would accommodate the reinstated suburbs.

“Looking at the current modelling we have suggests that with the expansion of Adelaide Botanic High School, we will be able to accommodate the existing suburbs and adding those suburbs that were cut in 2019,” Mr Boyer said.

Blair Boyer, Tom Koutsantonis and Jayne Stinson at Adelaide High School for the restoration of CBD school zones. Picture: Kitty Barr

Underdale High School, Plympton International College and Unley High School’s zones will also change.

Adelaide Botanic High School and Adelaide High School will continue to have a shared zone, allowing parents within the zone to nominate their preference.

Adelaide Botanic High School is undergoing an expansion to increase its capacity by 700 places to 1950 students. The expansion was approved by SCAP in a meeting on Wednesday and has council approval.

An artist impression of the expended Adelaide Botanic High.

West Torrens MP Tom Koutsantonis said Adelaide High changed his life and those of the people in his community.

“It’s a school that’s changed the lives of many people in the western suburbs … what the previous government did by ripping out those homes from this zone, I can’t tell you the pain and heartache that caused,” he said.

The updated shared zone will include previously zoned suburbs of Glandore, Hilton, Kurralta Park and Black Forest and part suburbs of Marleston, Mile End, Richmond, Torrensville and Clarence Park.

Badcoe MP Jayne Stinson called the suburbs’ return to the school zone a “victory”.

“It was an unfair decision to, without notice, strip away a school zone. What it meant for families in my community were financial implications, relationship implications, and a lot of confusion … so today is an enormous victory for people in my community,” Ms Stinson said.

The $98m expansion of Botanic High which includes a seven-level wing to be constructed on the southern side of the existing buildings.

Shadow minister for education John Gardner said the former Liberal government invested in the expansion of Adelaide Botanic High School based on “the urgent need for increased capacity in the existing zone”.

“Labor’s re-zoning would see our two city high schools overflowing with students within years and Peter Malinauskas has failed to explain how they’re going to create the extra space needed. Labor needs to come clean on whether they’re going to cut specialist programs at these two schools or find more than $100 million to build a third,” Mr Gardner said.

Originally published as Suburbs previously cut from CBD high school zones return for 2024 school year