St Margaret's School was established in 1926 with 18 pupils, as an affiliate of the Presbyterian church, in the manse of the Toorak Presbyterian Church. In 1927 St Margaret's School moved to Mayfield Avenue, Malvern, and in 1931 leased the former Governor's residence, Stonington. By the 1930s St Margaret's School had grown to 330 pupils. In 1929 the Berwick Presbyterian Girls’ School was purchased. This branch of the main School was established in 1930, with a purpose-built boarding house, Campbell House.[1]
The school was originally owned by its principal, Dora Gipson, until 1947 when she sold it to the parents and Old Girls as she needed to retire due to illness.[2]
St Margaret's School was incorporated in 1948 and the first Council established.[3]
It operated as a "rural boarding school" and was run as such until 1978.[4]
In 2006, St Margaret's School Council announced its decision to establish a brother school for St Margaret's. This school opened in 2009 named Berwick Grammar School, catered for boys in Years 7 to 12.[5]
In 2021 the two schools were formally brought together under the new name St Margaret's Berwick Grammar.[6]
Description
The St Margaret's School campus is in Berwick and the boys' campus is in Officer.[7]
The school has a non-selective enrollment policy. As of December 2024[update] there were 876 students from Pre-Prep to Year 12, 535 girls and 341 boys. Around 69 per cent of the student cohort has a home language other than English.[7]
^Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "McMASTER (Jan) Janette Robyn Heather". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd.
