Beveridge Primary School (School No. 1476; previously known as Beveridge State School 1874– c.1970)

Full description

Beveridge Primary School (School No. 1476) (VA 5663) opened in 1874, replacing Beveridge Common School (School No. 711), a Catholic school first recognised in July 1863 when the Board of Education (VA 713) first granted financial assistance, and which closed in 1874.  The new Beveridge State School operated from a bluestone building constructed on Arrowsmith Street, Beveridge in Melbourne’s northern fringe.  Enrolment on opening was 66, with an average attendance of 28.

In 1875, 17 students left to attend the recently opened Catholic School and Beveridge became half-time with Upper Plenty (School No. 1244).  In 1887, the school was closed for two months before re-opening part-time with Meriang (School No. 437) in September and became full time again in January 1888.  In 1889 a four-room teachers’ residence was added to the site. 

In 1962, a shelter pavilion was added and a pine plantation was established which was likely later milled under the School Endowment Pine Plantation scheme for school profit.  The teachers’ residence was sold and removed.

In 1970, there was a statewide decision to broaden the use of the term ‘State School’ to include all government schools, rather than referring exclusively to primary-level schools. Subsequently, all primary schools began to use ‘Primary School’ in the name. Accordingly, the school name was changed to Beveridge Primary
School around this time. 

By 2018, the school was operating from approximately 11 relocatable buildings, with the original bluestone building used for Out of School Hours Care. 

Enrolments grew from 45 students in 2007 to 207 in 2014 and 472 by 2022. To address this rapid growth on Melbourne’s northern fringe, the 2017–18 State Budget provided funding to purchase land for a new campus. Construction was completed in 2020, and the Ambrosia Way Campus opened for Grades 3 to 6, while the original Arrowsmith Street site became the Foundation to Grade 2 campus. 

As of 2025, Beveridge Primary School remains in operation.

Beveridge Primary School (School No. 1476) should not be confused with the former Beveridge Common School (No. 711), which operated from 1863 to 1874. It was originally a Catholic school and became a public school in 1863 when it received financial assistance from the Board of Education.