Contract award moves Huntlee schools closer to 2028 opening

newy.com.au – Families in Huntlee, Branxton and North Rothbury are a step closer to getting a new public preschool, primary school and high school, with the NSW Department of Education awarding the construction contract for the Huntlee project to Richard Crookes Constructions and keeping the schools on track to open on Day 1, Term 1, 2028.

The project, at 32 Persoonia Boulevard, North Rothbury, was approved under the Review of Environmental Factors process on 23 February 2026, clearing the way for construction planning to gather pace. The department says the development has now moved into design finalisation, with site establishment and enabling works to follow, and the approved works include school buildings, landscaping, sport and play spaces and associated infrastructure.

Official project material shows the development will cater for up to 1,500 students, with 500 places in the primary school and 1,000 in the high school, alongside a co-located public preschool with capacity for 60 children a day. Plans list 27 classrooms in the primary school and 54 in the high school, with both campuses to include support-class facilities, libraries, multipurpose halls, outdoor play and sports areas, and a shared canteen, while the high school will also include specialist VET facilities including a construction workshop and kitchen.

Some of the details most important to parents are still to be settled. Intake areas and the initial year groups for the two schools have not yet been finalised, with the department saying catchments will be announced at least 12 months before the schools open and enrolments are expected to open about a year before classes begin. Public transport arrangements are also being developed with local council and Transport for NSW.

For families planning ahead, the department says the preschool will take children who turn four on or before 31 July in the enrolment year, both the primary school and high school will include support classes, and out of school hours care will operate at the primary school. Consultation on the schools’ names, logos and colours is due to begin after principals are appointed, while the shared canteen is planned to operate with separate serveries and different break times for primary and high school students.