Marist College Ashgrove, an all-boys Catholic day and boarding school for Years 5 to 12, was established by the Marist Brothers in 1940. The 26 hectare campus, only 7 klms from Brisbane’s CBD, is leafy and expansive, with excellent academic, sporting and residential facilities.

Currently there are 180 boarding students with an overall enrolment of 1700. Religious Education in the Catholic tradition is central, and outstanding music and outdoor education programs, along with debating, public speaking and drama opportunities add to this broad co-curriculum. The College offers an academic course and Vocational Education (VET) program at the Senior level. Students have always performed at a consistently high level with the majority matriculating to Queensland tertiary institutions.

Old Boys of the College are very well represented across all of the professions, in public life, sporting life and in the work of the Church. The College has a tradition of wide participation and high achievement in sport. A founding member of the Association of Independent Colleges, we compete in all the AIC sports whilst the Junior school is a member of the Combined Independent Colleges sport association.

Co-curricular activities play an integral role in the College's holistic approach to the boy's education. The college is consistently among Queensland’s leading schools in areas as diverse as debating, cross-country, chess, rugby, athletics, swimming and cricket. It has a proud sporting tradition and offers a wide range of sporting pursuits, including athletics, AFL, basketball, cricket, chess, cross country, rugby union, rugby league, football, track and field, hockey, swimming, tennis, volleyball and water polo.

Students enjoy a range of musical options to cater for musicians of all abilities. Opportunities for musical expression are almost unlimited. Students regularly perform as members of orchestras, jazz ensembles, bands and choirs in performances that take place throughout the entire school year.

Boarders are an integral part of the College community and boarding at MCA gives boys from country areas and overseas access to an education of outstanding quality. For families living closer to MCA, weekly boarding provides all the benefits of a caring, supervised environment on the campus during the week, leaving weekends free to relax at home.

Boarders can take full advantage of the breadth of MCA’s teaching and co-curricular programs and facilities. Structured study periods in the evenings allow boys to complete homework and study. Boys also benefit greatly from the advice, encouragement and expert assistance from resident teaching staff and assistants.

Accommodation for 230 boarders is divided amongst five residences. Meals are well-balanced, with menus developed in consultation with a qualified nutritionist. 

Recreational areas provide ample opportunities for indoor activities and boarders are encouraged to use the College’s extensive leisure and sporting facilities, including sports grounds, swimming pool and tennis courts.

Pastoral care at MCA embraces more than the giving of well prepared, thought provoking and stimulating lessons. It means being concerned for the total well-being of students, and with the development of the whole person. The philosophies underpinning pastoral care, the active pursuit of programs and practices aimed at promoting and supporting well-being and school ethos, as well as the climate and atmosphere in which students and staff learn and work, are complementary.

Through explicit philosophies we hope to educate young men in the way of St Marcellin Champagnat so that they have the courage and confidence to develop traits similar to those modelled by Marcellin himself.

The Brother Ignatius Centre, catering to the needs of boys in Years 5 and 6, is also an integral part of the College and its pastoral care structure.

It is a welcoming place where the younger students are cared for and initiated into the Marist community and its ethos. Due to their stage of development and learning needs, students in the primary school are cared for by the Year 5/6 Pastoral Leader and their classroom teachers in a horizontal pastoral care model.

Pastoral care for students in Years 7 – 12 is provided through a vertical eight House System. This vertical approach sees the students of the College being well known, encouraged and well-advised by their Head of House and pastoral group teachers. Each House has its own way of encouraging active contribution to the College as well as co-operation amongst the students. This builds in the boys a growing sense of belonging and ownership.

Brisbane Bus Lines operates a number of direct routes to the College. Updated bus routes are available on their website www.brisbanebuslines.com.au or Phone 07 3354 3633.

Translink provides integrated public transport information on buses, ferries and trains in South East Queensland. This information can be accessed from their website at www.translink.com.au.

Marist College Ashgrove has a long and proud tradition of offering scholarships and bursaries to boys who have demonstrated they have the potential to derive great benefit from a Marist College Ashgrove education.

The Champagnat Trust has been established to provide assistance to students in necessitous circumstances selected on the basis of financial need. The Trust takes its name from the founder of the Marist Brothers, St. Marcellin Champagnat. These bursaries offer half or part thereof of tuition, boarding (where applicable) and compulsory fees for students entering Years 7 to 12. Families applying for fee relief in the form of a bursary are asked to completing a confidential Champagnat Trust Application Form and provide supporting documentation.

Applications for the Champagnat Trust Bursary close each year on the 30 June with a decision made by the 31 July.

View our Scholarships and Bursaries page for more information.

The College is a unique mix of day and boarding students from Years 5 to 12 who receive a Catholic education in the Marist tradition. MCA prides itself on providing a holistic education that develops the spiritual, academic, cultural, sporting, and personal growth of each boy.

Our Marist values of simplicity, presence, love of hard work, family spirit, and being in the way of Mary guide the whole College community each and every day. A dedicated staff of Brothers and lay people work hard to ensure each boy has the opportunity to become the best person he can be.

The College motto “Viriliter Age” – Act Courageously, challenges our students to conduct themselves at all times as young men who aspire to excellence in everything they do.

On behalf of the MCA community, I would like to extend a warm welcome to prospective members of our Marist family.

Michael Newman

Head of College