Brisbane Christian College operates across three campuses; all located in the southern suburbs of Brisbane.[5]
The Early Learning Centre, catering to Pre-Prep students, is situated at 28 Rookwood Avenue, Coopers Plains.[5] The site was formerly occupied by Coopers Plains State Preschool Centre.[6]
The 2.227-hectare (5.50-acre)[7]Primary Campus, accommodating students from Prep to Year 5, is located at 109 Golda Avenue, Salisbury.[5] The site was previously occupied by the Brisbane office of Rudnev Australia.[8]
The 10.016-hectare (24.75-acre)[9]Middle and Secondary Campus, serving students from Year 6 to Year 12, is located at 63 Fairlie Terrace, Salisbury.[5] The campus was formerly the site of Nyanda State High School (formerly known as Salisbury State High School).[9]
History
The college was established on Sunday, 14 April 1985[10] and opened on 15 April 1985,[11] under the name Assembly of God's Southside Christian College[12] with between 12[13] and 16 primary school students and 12 staff members.[14][10] The school's name was shortened to Southside Christian College and in August 2011 changed to Brisbane Christian College.[15]
The Pre-Prep center, in Coopers Plains was opened in 2010.[13], and in 2016, the Middle and Secondary campus in Salisbury was opened, on the former site of Nyanda State High School. However, the closure of Nyanda State High School in 2013 was met with protests by some, including the Prime Minister at the time, Kevin Rudd.[16] Still, when the building of the Middle and Secondary Campus was announced, many welcomed it.[9]
A man living near the Primary campus claims a bus from the school crashed into his fence on September 2024. The school claims the bus incident was investigated and dealt with internally.[17]
Governance
Brisbane Christian College is a ministry of Life Church Brisbane, a church affiliated with the Australian Christian Churches movement.[18] The College is a member school with Independent Schools Queensland,[19][20] a peak representative body for independent schools in the state[21] and is registered as a non-government school charity with the Australian Government.[22]
Governance of the school is overseen by the Board of Directors, which is appointed by the leadership of Life Church Brisbane.[23][24] The Board is responsible for strategic matters such as enrolment trends and policy.[23][24] It meets monthly to review College operations in alignment with its strategic plans.[23] Day-to-day management is delegated to the principal, who operates within the guidelines set by the Board.[23][24] The current principal is Sean Morrison, who was appointed in 2011.[25] Principals of the College between its founding and present day are:
The Board appoints a Finance Committee that also meets monthly to receive financial reports from the College Business Manager.[23] This committee monitors financial performance and gives the Board recommendations on matters such as the annual budget and school fees.[23][24] The financial accounts of Brisbane Christian College and its associated property entity, Southside Christian Centre Property Ltd, are audited annually.[23][24] The current Chairperson of the Board is Pastor John Hunt, who was appointed in 2023.[33] The Chair of the College Board is an independent individual with no affiliation to either Life Church or Brisbane Christian College.[24]
Student Life
Chaplaincy and Student Wellbeing
Brisbane Christian College has 5 school chaplains, two for the Middle and Secondary Campus, two for the Primary campus and one on both campuses. They also have a college pastor and an assistant college pastor. School chapel services happen every week and are lead by the chaplains and involve a message, prayer, and worship. The school also has two school counsellors, one on the Primary campus and one on the Middle and Secondary campus. Students can be referred to a counsellor by a parent or teacher, or self-refer if the student is older. [34]
House system
The College has 6 houses, named after notable individuals in the Christian faith.[34] Each house has a staff member who is assigned as the Head of House, who are responsible for the Pastoral Care of the students assigned to the house.[34]
In the morning, the school also offers family groups for those on the Middle and Secondary campus, which are mixed-age groups with students from all Middle and Secondary year levels in their House.[34]
International Students
The College offers an international program for students from Preparatory to Year 12. It is registered with the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).[37] Previously, the College operated as an exempt provider under the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Regulations Act[38] and its 1992 amendment.[39]
Students in the international program are given support lessons to improve their English and must complete an English proficiency test before applying.[41] The school used to have a homestay program; however, the school will be cancelling homestay at the end of 2025 and is not accepting new admissions for homestay.[41]
Demographics
Brisbane Christian College Student Enrolment Data 2008 to 2024.
In 2022, the school had a student enrolment of 1,031 with 63 teachers (58.3 full-time equivalent) and 107 non-teaching staff (59.3 full-time equivalent). Female enrolments consisted of 518 students and Male enrolments consisted of 513 students; Indigenous enrolments accounted for a total of 2% and 38% of students had a language background other than English.[42][43]
In 2023, the school had a student enrolment of 1,046 with 64 teachers (60.6 full-time equivalent) and 107 non-teaching staff (60.1 full-time equivalent). Female enrolments consisted of 522 students and Male enrolments consisted of 524 students; Indigenous enrolments accounted for a total of 2% and 43% of students had a language background other than English.[42][44]
In 2024, the school had a student enrolment of 1,090 with 71 teachers (66.1 full-time equivalent) and 104 non-teaching staff (58.5 full-time equivalent). Female enrolments consisted of 546 students and Male enrolments consisted of 544 students; Indigenous enrolments accounted for a total of 2% and 47% of students had a language background other than English.[42][3]
Curriculum
Prep
In Prep, students learn maths, literacy, integrative studies and sport. Integrative studies include humanities, science, English, technology and the arts. In first semester sport, students participate in gymnastics every week and do swimming lessons in term 4. [45]
Primary (Grades 1-5)
In Primary School, students learn maths, Christian studies, integrated studies, physical education and English. Integrative studies in primary school include humanities, science, technologies and the arts. English in years 1-2 provides foundational literacy skills, while English in years 3-5 is focused on consolidating skills, with novel reading starting in year 3.[46]
Middle (Grades 6-8)
In Middle School, students learn the core subjects of English, math, history, science and geography. They also rotate through all elective subjects.
In Secondary School students may choose from subjects to complete. Maths and English are compulsory for all grades, and in years 9 and 10, Christian Studies and Science are also required. Only year 9 students are required to complete History and Physical Education. Chinese is optionally offered as a language. For year 9, students must select 6 electives (three in semester 1, three in semester 2). Year 10’s must select three electives to study for the whole year. In year 11 and 12, students do six subjects total and may do a vocational education and training course instead of a subject. In years 10-12, students may choose levels of math.[48][49][50][51]
Extra-curricular activities
Brisbane Christian College has many extra-curricular programs such as debating, Chinese culture club and art club.[52] The school’s primary campus is also a venue for the Queensland Debating Union’s primary school competition.[53]
Brisbane Christian College also offers training in basketball, football, futsal, netball, touch football and volleyball.[54] The school is involved in the Independent Schools Championship, which is a competition between four schools(the other three schools being Citipointe Christian College, Redlands College and Moreton Bay Boys College) for years 9-12.[55]
The school also offers a music program. Music lessons can be completed in either paired lessons or individual lessons, which are both around 30 minutes per session. They also host ensemble programs, such as worship teams and strings ensembles. The school also offers a musical every year.[54]
Life Festival
The Brisbane Life Festival is an annual event hosted by the school. It involves rides, food and performances. [56]
Notable alumni
Alumni lists are available on the Names Database[57] and the school has a section of past students' accomplishments on its website.[58] Alumni of the College include the Australian singer Dami Im.[59]
↑ "Our Future". Southside Christian College. Archived from the original on 10 August 2004. Retrieved 2 October 2025– via The Wayback Machine. According to our Master Plan, is that our current site of 5 ½ acres can accommodate up to around 550 - 600 students.
↑ "Brisbane Christian College's post". Facebook. 22 December 2018. Archived from the original on 3 October 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025. Carey House is named after William Carey, an individual who became known as the 'Father of modern Missions'
1 2 Morrison, Sean. "Brisbane Christian College: Homestay Program Information For Homestay Providers"(PDF). Brisbane Christian College. p.2. Archived from the original(PDF) on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2025. While many of our international students come from Korea and Taiwan, we also have enjoyed students from Mainland China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and various Pacific islands such as Solomon Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
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