The vacant land to the left of Shone Avenue will become home to the new West Dapto primary school and preschool. Image: Google Maps.
Sites for the new West Dapto Public School and Flinders High School have been announced.
The primary school and co-located public preschool will be built at Shone Avenue, Wongawilli, while the new high school for the growing southern suburbs will be built next to Flinders Public School in Adam Murray Way.
Funds were allocated in the 2025-26 State Budget to continue planning for Flinders High School, which will relieve overcrowding at nearby schools such as Warilla High.
Shellharbour MP Anna Watson has long advocated for the high school and previously acknowledged that families moving into new suburbs such as West Dapto and Shell Cove/Flinders desperately needed new schools to cater for the growing number of students.
“Families are flocking to West Dapto and Flinders. The Illawarra region has always been a great place to raise a family, and with these schools on the way, these suburbs will be even better places to live,” she said following the announcement of the sites.
The new Flinders High School will be built to the right of the public school. Image: Google Maps.
According to Wollongong City Council, West Dapto is the fastest-growing residential area in NSW outside the Sydney region.
Over the next few decades it will become home to more than 50,000 people.
The West Dapto Public School will accommodate up to 600 students when it opens and the preschool will cater for up to 60 places a day. The school will also be master planned for future expansion.
Construction is expected to begin in late 2026 with the school scheduled to open for first term in 2029.
The school will have modern classrooms, support learning classrooms and multipurpose shared spaces, plus a library, hall, covered outdoor learning area (COLA) and a large playground.
A NSW Government spokesperson said an information session would be held in the coming months for the community to learn more about the school’s design and the project’s progress.
No dates have been given for the start of construction.
Other education infrastructure in the pipeline for the region includes a new primary school and public preschool in Calderwood – expected to open in 2028 – a COLA for Dapto High School and public preschools for Cringila, Lake Heights, Berkeley West, Hayes Park, Lake Illawarra South and Barrack Heights public schools.
