Canberra's newest independent school has announced it will begin accepting high school students a year earlier than originally planned, responding to significant demand from families in the rapidly expanding Molonglo Valley region.
Phased Opening to Meet Community Demand
Stromlo Forest Anglican College will commence operations in February 2026, initially welcoming children from six months old through to Year 2. Founding principal Andy Gordon confirmed that following discussions with prospective parents, the school will now open enrolments for Years 7 and 8 in 2027, alongside the already planned Years 3 to 6 intake.
"Parents were clearly looking for a high school option in the Molonglo Valley," Mr Gordon said. "We've listened to that need and are in a position to accommodate Year 7 and 8 students a year ahead of our initial schedule."
A Vertical School Inspired by Its Environment
The school's development, which has been years in the planning, will see construction continue through to 2028. Upon full completion, the campus will cater for students from preschool through to Year 12, with a total capacity of 1850 students.
Designed as a vertical school, the early education section will occupy a single storey, while the primary and secondary buildings will rise to four and five storeys. Mr Gordon explained that elements of the school's design draw inspiration from its namesake, the Stromlo Forest, including a feature tree in the early learning dining area.
The campus boasts views of the Telstra Tower and is situated close to Stromlo Park, the Stromlo Leisure Centre, and renowned cross-country and mountain biking facilities. "We should play to our strengths in this space," Mr Gordon noted, highlighting the integration with the local environment.
Educational Philosophy and Community Impact
The early childhood program will adopt the Reggio Emilia approach, an educational philosophy centred on a "powerful belief in the rights of the child." Mr Gordon emphasised that all decisions are made with the purpose of meeting the needs and upholding the rights of young people.
"That's my expectation in a school community—that the leaders and the educators are really attuned to the young people," he stated.
Despite the child-led philosophy, explicit teaching in literacy and numeracy will form a cornerstone of the curriculum. Mr Gordon described these skills as "the bookends of success," drawing a strong correlation between a school's results in these areas and eventual ATAR outcomes. "It's our responsibility not to teach in the middle, to teach the young person in front of us as best as we can," he added.
The school is already attracting families from a broad geographical area, including Ngunnawal, Gordon, Isabella Plains, and Tharwa. However, the majority of students are expected to come from the Molonglo Valley, a region undergoing dramatic transformation.
As of June 2025, the valley was home to just over 18,000 residents. Projections indicate this number will swell to approximately 79,000 by 2065, representing 10 per cent of the ACT's total population. Currently, the area is served by only two government schools—one primary and one high school—with another primary school slated to open in Whitlam in 2027.
Mr Gordon, who was appointed foundation principal at the end of 2024, brings decades of experience to the role, including a stint as interim principal at Radford College. Reflecting on the scale of the project, he said, "It's been a journey to get here. As a school leader across two decades, I had been involved in projects before, but not to this scale."
He also shared his affection for Canberra, quoting a unique description: "Someone once described to me, Canberra is like a big beanbag. I thought they were talking about the shape, what they actually meant was, it doesn't look comfortable, but once you sit in it, you won't sit in anything else."
