St Aloysius College, North Melbourne, has announced today it will move from being an all-girls school to become a co-educational school. The college will be the first Catholic school in the City of Melbourne to offer co-education at the secondary level.

The first intake of boys will commence in Year 7, 2023 and this co-educational group will move through the school over the following five years, with the school completing the transition to co-education across all year levels in 2028.

St Aloysius is one of 12 schools across Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia governed by Mercy Education Limited on behalf of the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea (ISMAPNG). The move concludes a two-year initiative, led by Mercy Education at the invitation of Catholic Education Melbourne, to reimagine the delivery of Catholic secondary education in Melbourne’s central business district, Docklands and inner north-west.

‘We recognised a need in the St Aloysius North Melbourne community from families seeking a faith-based co-educational option for their sons and daughters in their secondary years’, said Mercy Education Chief Executive, Christopher Houlihan.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions the announcement was deferred as St Aloysius refocused on adapting its education delivery, but Principal Mary Farah is now finally able to share the exciting news with the school community. ‘We have allocated two full years to invest resources and prepare our campus and programs for co-education, whilst also allowing for our current and incoming 2021 and 2022 students to complete their education in an all-girls environment.’

Archbishop of Melbourne, the Most Rev. Peter A Comensoli, commented: ‘I thank the Sisters of Mercy for their longstanding commitment to the North Melbourne community and for their foresight in responding to the ongoing Catholic education needs of our young people.’

The Executive Director of Catholic Education Melbourne, Jim Miles, also congratulated Mercy Education on the decision, noting that it ‘shows the continuing demand from parents for a faith-based education that is high-quality, low-fee and inclusive for all who seek it’.

Established in 1887, St Aloysius is one of the country’s oldest schools. The college’s 2019 VCE results placed it among the best-performing all-girls, inner-city Catholic schools.

St Aloysius will draw upon significant co-education expertise across its own leadership and staff, fellow Mercy Education colleagues and Catholic Education Melbourne to map a history-making transition in line with the college motto of ‘striving for higher things’ (Ad Altiora).

More detailed information is available on the website, including:

• Formal announcement by the Sisters of Mercy and Mercy Education
• Announcement to the school community
• Frequently asked questions
• Video message from the Archbishop of Melbourne, Peter A Comensoli
• Video message from the Executive Director of Catholic Education Melbourne, Jim Miles.