There’s a pattern emerging in parts of the Hills District. Families who live closer to larger schools are quietly requesting enrolment at Hillside Public School in Glenorie instead. It’s a small school deliberately so, and that’s exactly why they’re coming.
Hillside sits on Cattai Ridge Road, surrounded by bushland. It’s been there for a hundred years, which makes this centenary year a genuine milestone rather than a marketing exercise. But what’s drawing new families isn’t nostalgia. It’s something more practical: the sense that their child will actually be seen.
Small class sizes change what teaching looks like. When a teacher has a manageable number of students, they can fairly quickly work out how each one learns. That shows up in how lessons are planned, what support is offered, and, importantly, how quickly a child is extended when they’re ready for more. Enrichment and acceleration aren’t reserved for a gifted program; they’re part of how Hillside operates day-to-day.
The school also runs French, music, dance, and sport alongside its core curriculum. The outdoor environment is used seriously: the vegetable garden, the yarning circle, and the surrounding bushland all feed into how learning is delivered beyond the classroom walls.
Wellbeing is taken seriously too, in the specific sense that children’s confidence and creative expression are treated as outcomes worth tracking, not just byproducts of academic progress.
Hillside is enrolling now for Kindergarten to Year 6. Out-of-area applications are welcome. The school’s centenary celebration takes place on Friday, 30 October 2026. Tours can be booked through the school’s website.
