True potential discovered at Whitsunday Anglican School

Based in tropical Mackay, Whitsunday Anglican School is Queensland’s leading regional school, inspiring students through a culture of academic excellence, spiritual awareness, balance through cocurricular pursuits, and service to the community. Whitsunday’s personalised approach and tailored study pathway options allow every student to discover their true potential.

A CLOSE-KNIT COMMUNITY

Booth House offers a unique boarding experience, intentionally limited to just 84 students. This close and connected environment fosters a strong sense of community, where personal growth, emotional wellbeing, and a feeling of belonging are paramount.

FIRST-CLASS FACILITIES & SUPPORT

At Booth House, boarders benefit from a holistic approach to care and development. A team of specialist teachers, school nurses, psychologists, dedicated Boarding Housemother, and experienced boarding staff ensure students are supported academically, pastorally and emotionally.

Meals are crafted by the region’s top hospitality company, offering delicious and nutritious options every day.

Modern boarding facilities include relaxing spaces, study areas, games rooms, and kitchenettes. Students also enjoy access to the award-winning STEAM Centre, library, and access to cutting-edge technology, ensuring their academic and personal needs are met.

AWARD-WINNING STEAM CENTRE

Opened in 2023, the STEAM Centre is a world-class facility featuring state-of-the-art scientific laboratories, maker spaces, ideas-generating pods, learning commons, incubators, a greenhouse, and VR and 3D printing technology. Recognised as one of Australia’s most innovative schools, Whitsunday Anglican School was named a 5-Star Innovative School by The Educator in 2024!

The School  prides itself on its extensive Cocurricular Programme which encourages students to step outside their comfort zone, develop new skills and provide balance within the School’s holistic approach to education. The activities on offer are broken down into five categories:

• Academic Extension
• Service Learning
• Sport
• Music and the Arts

All students from the Preparatory-Year 12 are encouraged to be involved. Students from Years 5-12 are expected to participate in at least one of the School’s cocurricular activities per semester. Student involvement in cocurricular activities is recorded on report cards at the end of each semester.

Boarding at Booth House, Whitsunday Anglican School is available for Years 6-12.

At Whitsunday, our Boarders build confidence, character and skills that go beyond school, in a safe and nurturing environment that allows them to thrive.  The Boarding students are part of a well-connected wider community that includes the School, friends and their family.

Our Boarders enjoy outstanding facilities, where they are supported by our School Nurse, School Psychologist, Boarding Housemother and experienced boarding staff.   Boarders are provided with exceptional nutritious meals that are catered for by one of our region’s leading professional catering and hospitality companies.  Lounges, study areas, kitchenettes, media, cutting-edge technology, the library and the state of the art STEAM Centre support them in their educational journey.

A bus service connects our 5-day boarders with the option to go home for the weekend, while 7-day boarding is also available.

Academic and Courricular Excellence

We value academic rigour and a wide range of curricular and cocurricular pursuits including STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths), English and Literature, Technology and Innovation, Sport, Music, Drama.

Motivation and High Standards

Staff and parents alike will tell you that our students are motivated to perform, with a passion for learning. They understand the expectations of our School and they willingly deliver in learning outcomes and responsible behaviour.

Creativity, Innovation and Progress

Our students are encouraged to ‘think for the future’ and outside the box, confidently forging creative solutions for tomorrow’s world.

Emotional Intelligence (EI)

Our students are supported to learn critical emotional management and interpersonal skills that are essential for future success and wellbeing. We have partnered with Melbourne’s Swinburne University to be the first in our region to implement a leading Emotional Intelligence programme for students.

Global Learning 

Students at Whitsunday Anglican School are offered life-enriching cultural and travel experiences, thanks to our Global Learning and Cultural Exchange programmes.

Diversity

Our students are diverse in backgrounds, cultures and beliefs, reflecting the real world, enhancing our community and fostering friendships, respect, empathy and inclusion.

Anglican Faith

Parents choose our school because of the strong values that are interwoven into its fabric. Our values encourage our students to ‘serve’ others, creating future citizens that actively contribute to community.

Leading Regional School

Based in Mackay, adjacent to the beautiful Whitsunday region of the Great Barrier Reef, we are one of Australia’s leading regional schools. At Whitsunday Anglican School we combine the best of country hospitality with the high standards and opportunities of a premier city school.

We look forward to welcoming you and your family to Whitsunday Anglican School.

Book a Tour 

Contact our Head of Admissions

Outdoor Education

Learning experiences outside the classroom are just asimportant as learning inside the classroom.

We are passionate advocates of our hallmark Outdoor Education programme thatsees every student from Kindergarten-Year 11 embark on aweek-long adventure.

These experiences become more challenging each year and allow our students to take risks, tolead, to follow, to be empowered, to reflect, to build friendships, and to disconnect from a pervasive digital world; becoming confident as they develop lifelong skills.

Our Outdoor Education programme focuses on the growthand development of students as individuals and their ability to adapt to a diversity of environments and situations.This builds character, which leads to the development of accomplished young men and women, who are able to leadin the ever-changing globalised world.

Whitsunday Anglican School’s Outdoor Education Week is an integral component of the holistic approach to our student’s education and building a love for lifelong learning. At the endof the week, students are inspired by a new confidence that embodies a sense of achievement, new skills to reflect on andmemories that last a lifetime.

Experiential outdoor education opportunities are crucial in developing personal growth, character, self awareness,teamwork and facing challenges headon.

Whitsunday Anglican School, in conjunction with Bus Fox Mackay, has introduced a direct bus service to transport students to and from School. This service, exclusively for Whitsunday Anglican School students, is operated mornings and afternoons on school days and there are full time and casual fee options. There are two routes, one to the Pioneer Valley (as far as Mirani) and the second south to Sarina, via Mackay Central and Ooralea. We also offer a bus home for the weekend to our 5-day Boarders to various locations.

To find out more about Scholarships available and testing please click here.

View our academic results here

Please visit the Whitsunday Anglican School website to read testimonials from past parents and students. 

Meet some of our Old Scholars

At Whitsunday Anglican School we value our network of past students and love to hear about what they are up to in their lives after School. All WAS scholars are part of our ‘Old Scholars’ community once they leave the school and are invited to reunions and networking events to enhance professional connections and simply catch up.

IMAAN ASHRAF
Attended 2005 to 2018

Imaan Ashraf has an impressive list of accolades to her name. The 2018 School Captain is now studying Medicine at James Cook University in Townsville and is well recognised in the community, winning a number of awards. Imaan has been recognised for her efforts in creating awareness of Islamic culture and was named a finalist Outstanding Young Achiever in the Queensland Multicultural Awards.

JAMES BENNETT
Attended 2011 to 2013

After finishing school, James studied a Bachelor of Communication Design at QUT. James is an animator who co-founded a company called Zerply which is based in San Francisco. He has worked on movies including Avatar, Iron Man 2, Happy Feet, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

MARK KALCH
Attended 1990 to 1994

Along with a friend, Mark became fixed on paddling the length of the world’s biggest river, the Amazon and they became the 7th and 8th people ever to do so, taking 153 tough days and travelling more than 6000km. In 2012, Mark became the first person in history to kayak the entire length of North America’s longest river system, the Missouri-Mississippi, travelling over 6000km. Mark and his family now live in Malawi, Africa. He is the Chairperson for the implementation of the Judo for Peace program at the Dzaleka Refugee Camp and his partner is the British High Commissioner.

BRENDAN BRIEFFIES
Attended 2005 to 2009

Dr Brendan Brieffies completed his Bachelor of Veterinary Science at James Cook University in Townsville in 2015. Brendan joined the Clermont Veterinary Surgery not long after graduation where he is now an Associate Veterinarian.

JOSEPH FORMOSA
Attended 2005 to 2009

After completing a Bachelor of Dental Surgery at James Cook University in Cairns and receiving the University Medal for academic achievement, Joseph returned home to Mackay and worked for Mackay Hospital & Health Service. He has now relocated to the United States to undertake further studies at the prestigious Ivy League University of Pennsylvania. Only one resident is accepted yearly into post-graduate residency. Joseph is studying a 4-year dual specialty in Periodontics-Orthodontics.

KATHERINE BATTERSBY
Attended 1990 to 1998

As the author and illustrator of nine picture books published around the world, including Little Wing and the popular Squish Rabbit series, Katherine’s books have been shortlisted for numerous awards, including the Crichton Award, the CBCA Book of the Year Awards and the Speech Pathology Book of the Year Awards. 

CAROLINE GRAHAM
Attended 1993 to 2002

Caroline Graham started her Journalism career at the Daily Mercury and is now an award winning journalist and university lecturer, who teaches journalism and creative writing at Bond University. She is also the co-writer/co-producer of Lost in Larrimah, a six-part literary true crime podcast published by The Australian in 2018. The series won several awards, including a Walkley Award.

JAKE MAGRO
Attended 2014 to 2017

In 2021, former School Captain Jake Magro was named a finalist in the AFR Top 100 Future Leaders. With past roles including Beta Alpha Psi USYD membership director, Amnesty International Club administrator, and Zonta Club treasurer, Jake’s experience has allowed him to continually grow in all facets of leadership. He was awarded the USYD Sydney Scholars Award Scholarship following his grade 12 results and is studying a Bachelor of Commerce & Advanced Studies at the University of Sydney.

Welcome to Whitsunday Anglican School, a vibrant coeducational day and boarding school with a philosophy of personalised learning that drives an education of excellence.

I trust as you look through this site you will sense the culture of our School, and get a feel for the environment we endeavour to create for our students and their families.

From Kindergarten-Year 12, we provide high quality teaching, and the time and support needed, to promote each student’s individual success. We find children learn best when they are happy, challenged and supported.

At the heart of our Whitsunday Anglican School Community we embrace Christian values and principles that ensure we pursue the best educational aspirations. Christianity through social responsibility, Tolerance through respect, Excellence through effort, Dignity through tradition, Trust through cooperation are the enduring Christian values that combine to give character to the tone of the School.

We are a Top 25 School in Queensland and the number one performing school in the Mackay region, based on consistently high NAPLAN results. Our Year 12 graduates step into life ‘beyond school’ confident, well equipped and ready. 

In our Junior years, we also attain excellent results and we are ranked QLD’s leading regional school for Year 3 and Year 5 NAPLAN results. However, most importantly, our Junior School delivers a balanced education that fosters a love of learning to last a lifetime.

There are many factors involved in our success, but perhaps the most striking is the investment made by teachers, parents and our students themselves into education. Staff at Whitsunday Anglican School are highly trained in their specialist areas. They are passionate about their work and genuinely care about their students.

We also value and welcome a close working relationship with parents and their active involvement in our increasingly international school community. In addition, we are exceptionally proud of the high standards our students set for themselves. They are motivated and encourage each other through positive attitudes, behaviour and application.

Our students are guided by a values framework and the School Motto, Spiritus Scientiae, the Sprit of Knowledge and we encourage them to be active participants in the wider community. They have the opportunity to ‘serve’ others locally and internationally, including trips overseas (for example to help build village facilities) or closer to home. We also offer many opportunities for students to develop their personal interests and passions, including in Sport, Music, Drama, Travel, Culture, Literature or STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths). The School encourages the pursuit of knowledge and service to others and to do this in an atmosphere where integrity, empathy and compassion are learned through authentic experience.

As a School we are highly active in the local community. Each year we host key events including the Whitsunday Voices Youth Literature Festival (the largest writers festival for young people in North and Central Queensland); and the Mackay Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp, an affirming event for children with special needs who are looked after for three days by our senior students. Our School is diverse in backgrounds, cultures and beliefs, enriching our school community and fostering friendships, respect, empathy and inclusion. As a parent myself, I know intimately how important the decision on where to send your child to school is. I have no hesitation in assuring you that your child will receive the individual support, guidance and care they need to thrive at Whitsunday Anglican School.

Andrew Wheaton
Principal