A much-needed new public school will soon be a reality for families in Rhodes, with the Minns Labor Government announcing it will deliver a primary school by 2030.
The 2026-27 NSW Budget has delivered the full funding for the new school, which will include 40 modern classrooms for 900 students, three learning support classrooms, a playing field, large hall, library, games court and quadrangle, and co-located public early learning.
This will be the first school located in Rhodes for almost 40 years after the Liberals closed Rhodes Public School in 1989 and sold off the land. In 2021, the previous Liberal-National Government misled the community by announcing a new public school without the funding, land, or detailed planning required to deliver it.
The Minns Labor Government is providing long-awaited certainty for families with this new public primary school which will be located between Blaxland Road and Cavell Avenue, near the site of the former school. The Government has secured the land required to begin building the school and demolition work is already underway.
A heritage 1920s “industrial-modern” style factory building with a distinctive sawtooth roof will be retained on the site and incorporated as part of the new school. This was the home of Rider and Bell which produced metal products, including brass firefighter’s helmets.
The new public school in Rhodes builds on the Minns Labor Government’s investment in the broader Drummoyne electorate, with a major upgrade to Concord High School completed earlier this year. This upgrade delivered 40 new, permanent classrooms, a hall, upgraded library, and the removal of all the school’s demountable classrooms after 12 years of neglect by the Liberals.
This new public school will ease pressure on nearby Concord West Public School and help meet the forecasted growth in Rhodes, with thousands of new homes in the development pipeline.
Over the next four years the Minns Labor Government will deliver a record $9.2 billion investment in school infrastructure, including $4.1 billion for new and upgraded schools in Western Sydney.
This historic investment is a $600 million increase on the education infrastructure budget left behind by the Liberals and Nationals, as the Minns Labor Government works to deliver the schools our fastest-growing communities need.
In addition to ensuring students have modern classrooms and schools, the Minns Labor Government has transitioned more than 25,000 teachers and school support staff from uncertain temporary contracts to permanent employment.
This follows the Minns Labor Government’s move to abolish the Liberals and Nationals wages cap, delivering NSW teachers the biggest pay rise in a generation.
This reform is attracting teachers into public schools and helping retain those already there, with teacher vacancies at a 12-year low and the number of merged and cancelled classes in NSW halving since the election of the Minns Labor Government.
Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:
“Every child should have access to a world-class public education. But for nearly 40 years, families in Rhodes haven’t had the choice to send their kids to a public school close to home.
“The Liberals promised families moving to Rhodes a new public primary school, but they didn’t have the land set aside or the money to pay for it.
“We’re delivering the schools families need, because every dollar we put into public education is an investment in the next generation.”
Deputy Premier of New South Wales and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:
“For almost four decades, families in Rhodes have gone without a public primary school while the community continued growing.
“That’s why the Minns Labor Government is fully funding a brand-new public primary school for 900 students, ensuring families in Rhodes can access a world-class public education, close to home.
“While the Liberals let down local families with empty promises, the Minns Labor Government is working to turn this new school from a concept into a fully funded reality.
“There is a clear record in Rhodes – Labor builds schools, while the Liberals close them.”
Federal Member for Reid Sally Sitou said:
“Rhodes is finally getting the public primary school our community has waited decades for.
“With thousands of new homes in the pipeline, the new public primary school will help meet in Rhodes’ future growth demand while easing pressure on surrounding schools.
“The Liberals talked about a new school but delivered no funding and no proper planning. Only Labor is delivering the schools our community deserves.”
