Eureka Primary School (School No. 1071; previously known as Ballarat Free Church School (Presbyterian), Specimen Hill 1854 – 1869; Specimen Hill, Ballarat Common School 1869 – 1872; Specimen Hill, Ballarat State School 1873 – c.1930; Eureka Street, Ballarat State School c.1930 – 1970)

Full description

Eureka Primary School (School No. 1071) (VA 3834) was a coeducational primary school in Ballarat East.

The first iteration of this school was founded by the Free Presbyterian Church on Specimen Hill in Eureka Street, Ballarat, in 1854. It was vested in the Denominational School Board (VA 703), who supported the acquisition of a half-acre site for the school in 1856. 

In 1869, the school became a common school and the school property was transferred from the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria to the Board of Education (VA 713). The school became known as Specimen Hill, Ballarat Common School at this time. 

The Education Act of 1872 established the Victorian Education Department (VA 714) which marked further change to school naming conventions, with the school becoming a State School. The exact name of the school at this time is subject to further research, though it may have remained Specimen Hill, Ballarat State School. 

In 1930, the school was proclaimed a training school, and was referred to as Eureka Street, Ballarat State School. 

In 1970, there was a statewide decision to change the use of the term ‘State School’ to refer to all primary, secondary and technical schools instead of just primary schools, and for all primary schools to use ‘Primary School’ in the name. At this time, the school name was changed to Eureka Primary School. 

At the end of 1993, Eureka Primary School closed and merged with Ballarat Primary School (School No. 4981) (VA 3811) and Golden Point Primary School (School No. 1493) (VA 3839) to form Canadian Lead Primary School (School No. 5383) (VA 5820). The Eureka Street site was used as campus 2 of Canadian Lead Primary School until a new school site was completed at the end of 1997 to which all students transferred. The Eureka Street site was later sold and subdivided for housing. 

Eureka Primary School should not be confused with either Eureka State School (School No. 3707) which existed from 1911 to 1940 in the Parish of Eureka, in north-western Victoria, or with Specimen Hill Primary School (School No. 1316) (VA 5761), which has operated in Ballarat since 1857.