Then history of Penshurst Girls High School extends beyond 1955 when classrooms on the present site were first occupied by students who had been transferred mainly from Hurstville Domestic Science School. High school education in this area dates back to 1917 when they attended Hurstville School of Household Arts, a part of Hurstville Primary School. In 1923 the school was renamed Hurstville Girls’ School and provided education for girls wishing to receive a secondary education in the St George area from Bexley to Helensburgh in the south, to Cronulla in the east.

In 1935 the school separated from the Primary School. However, plans were underway for the provision of a new secondary school, a file on the school indicating that in December 1952 ‘A block of land has been procured for the purpose of a central domestic science school at Penshurst.’ However, the following remark was also included ‘It is unlikely that the department will be in a position to proceed with the erection of this school for some considerable time to come.’

Funds were short for the building of the school on the three and a half acre site. In 1941 sketch plans were sought. Accommodation was to include:
  • 13 classrooms
  • 2 science rooms and labs
  • 2 art rooms
  • Library
  • Assembly/gymnasium
  • 3 kitchen/laundry
  • 1 typing room
  • 3 needlework rooms
  • Staff rooms
  • Canteen
  • 1 cottage flat
  • Caretaker cottage

Approximate cost…£150,000. It was hoped that the proximity of Penshurst Park could be used for sport purposes, compensating for the size of the school.

The foundation was laid almost 13 years later. Students were brought by train from Allawah and crowded into the assembly hall at Penshurst Primary School. As students sang Bless This House, local parliamentarians and dignitaries clad in gumboots and macintoshes, moved back to the school site to lay the foundation stone in a wall of bricks near Penshurst Street gate.

The building was completed late in 1954 and in February 1955 the school took in its first students. The official opening took place on 1st July 1955. The school will celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2005.

 
Georges River College

In 2000, the New South Wales Government decided to buy the educational site at Oatley from the University of New South Wales. After a community consultative process, the Department of Education and Training established Georges River College.

Four Campuses comprise the College: Hurstville Boys 7-10, Peakhurst 7-10, Penshurst Girls 7-10 and Oatley Senior Campus 11-12. An effective mentor program for Penshurst Year 10 students ensures that transition to co education at the senior Campus is a smooth one. A major College initiative is the formation of the Georges River College Band, with students from each campus auditioning to play.