Three new primary schools have been announced for Perth’s booming suburbs – two in the north and one south – to cater for the growing demand, while existing schools with rising enrolment pressures will receive a multimillion-dollar funding boost for expansion.
The new schools, given the planning names Alkimos North East, Banksia Grove West and Piara Waters West, were announced on Tuesday and will open at the beginning of the 2027 school year.
The existing Piara Waters Primary School is one of the biggest in the state, with more than 1000 students enrolled by the end of 2024.
Neighbouring suburb Harrisdale received a new high school in 2017, which became one of the biggest high schools in the state by 2022.
In Alkimos, the existing primary school opened in 2016 and had 661 students enrolled by 2024.
East Perth Primary School has been at the centre of a heated political debate and has faced delays, but the state government says forward works are now under way. Credit: Hamish Hastie
A second primary school in Eglinton, a seven-minute drive from Alkimos, will open to its first batch of students at the beginning of the 2025 school year.
All three primary schools are proposed for areas that have recorded significant population growth, particularly families with children aged between zero and nine.
Piara Waters recorded a 643 per cent increase in the number of children in this age group between 2011 and 2021 – the latest available census data.
Education Minister Tony Buti said the state government would also spend $5.6 million on expanding schools facing rising enrolment pressures, and would invest a further $4.7 million in 128 public schools with 100 students or fewer.
“It’s so important that we ensure our schools that have student enrolment under 100 are not disadvantaged,” he said.
“This $4.7 million that comes out of the better and fairer schools agreement with the Commonwealth will be used so our students and smaller schools are not disadvantaged.
“That will be boosted to $10 million next year, and it’ll be an ongoing boost in funding for our small schools.”
WA Premier Roger Cook said the state government was investing in delivering quality school infrastructure for growing suburbs.
He also said it was also important to cater for increasing density within the inner city, with the East Perth Primary School scheduled to open in 2029 with capacity for 600 students.
The state’s first multi-storey primary school could be expanded to accommodate a further 200 students and will ease enrolment pressure on Highgate Primary School – another of the state’s largest.
The $165 million commitment includes $19 million for the commencement of detailed design, forward works and relocation of Western Power services.
Cook confirmed the vast majority of the car park the school will be built on will remain open for public parking until October, while forward works were underway.
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