Work has officially begun on a $23 million redevelopment of Hobart City High School, set to transform outdated facilities into modern, flexible learning spaces for students and staff.
The upgrade follows $1.6 million in early works that started back in 2021, aimed at supporting co-educational learning across both the New Town and Ogilvie campuses.
Lead Principal Britany Roestenburg said the long-anticipated redevelopment was a huge step forward for the school community.
“We’re super, super excited for this redevelopment. Currently it’s really hard to get from one side of the school to the other,” she said.
“[We’re] really excited to have collaborative learning spaces and create a new heart for the school … that will bring everything to life.”
The redevelopment will deliver brand new science labs, art rooms, toilet facilities and a range of versatile learning areas designed to support different teaching styles and student needs.
Construction is expected to wrap up in time for the start of the 2026 school year.
Grade 10 students Julian Correa and Clair Narlely said improvements are welcome, even if they won’t be around to enjoy them.
“Everyone’s pretty excited but everyone’s also bummed out that no one’s going to be here when it’s all done,” Correa said.
Education Minister Jo Palmer said having high-quality learning environments makes a real difference.
“Creating beautiful contemporary spaces is so beneficial when it comes to ensuring we have the very best educational outcomes that we can for our students,” she said.
“We want our teachers to be in contemporary spaces where they can collaborate and when they can be the very best version of themselves as well.”
The redevelopment addresses long-standing issues with ageing infrastructure, with the school having seen minimal investment over the years.
The project forms part of a broader push by the state government to modernise education facilities, which has already seen two new schools built and several major redevelopments rolled out over the past decade.
