Asquith Boys and Asquith Girls high schools are slated to become two separate co-educational schools from 2026.
The NSW Department of Education is upgrading both sites to support the transition. Over the April school holidays, works were carried out to assess soil and rock composition. These works were funded by the $8.9 billion reserved in the 2024-2025 budget to build new and refurbish existing state schools.
Transitioning both Asquith Boys and Asquith Girls to co-ed was announced in November of 2024 following a consultation report on the Hornsby-Berowra surrounding area. The study, which surveyed students, parents, community members, stakeholders, and teaching staff, found that a majority preferred co-educational facilities.
At the time of the survey, the Asquith Boys High School students preferred co-education 46% to single sex education 33%. Parents of Asquith Boys felt similarly, with 47% co-ed to 33% single sex.
Following the same trend, the current students at Asquith Girls High School had a preference towards co-educational settings at 43% over 36% single sex. However, the parents and carers of Asquith Girls students had a preference towards single sex school with approximately 54% to 33% co-education.
Around 75% of future parents of local primary school communities preferred to send their child to a co-educational facility.
The NSW Department of Education decided to create two separate co-educational schools because of the study. From 2026, the two standalone schools with accept Years 7, 9, and 11, and then all cohorts from 2027.
Catchment areas have now altered. Both Asquith Boys and Asquith Girls had an intake area between Dangar Island all the way down to the Comenarra Parkway.
Now, the unnamed Asquith Boys campus will take students from north of Normanhurst Oval to Berowra Creek near Crosslands Reserve. Asquith Girls will enrol students from Linda Street before Hornsby Station to Popran Creek. Essentially, Asquith Boys will take west of the prior catchment, and Asquith Girls will enrol students east and north of the prior catchment.
Other school intake areas affected include Hornsby South Public School, Ku-ring-gai High School, Normanhurst Public School, St Ives High School, Turramurra High School, Waitara Public School, Asquith Public School, Berowra Public School, Brooklyn Public School, Mount Colah Public School, Mount Ku-ring-gai Public School, Pymble Public School, St Ives North Public School, and St Ives Park Public School.