Balga is a suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, 13 kilometres north of Perth city’s central business district. Its local government area is the City of Stirling. The name “Balga” was adopted in 1954 and is the Noongar (Aboriginal) word for the indigenous grass tree.
The Balga locality was originally part of a grant given to T. R. C. Walters in 1840 and was used primarily for market gardens and poultry farms, before large-scale development of Balga began in the late 1950s.
In 1950, the State Housing Commission resumed land at Balga to form part of the Mirrabooka satellite city, which was to also include Nollamara, Westminster and the northern portion of Dianella.
Balga Primary School officially opened on Monday 12 February 1965 with an enrolment of 21 children. The peak population at the school was in the early 70s when as many as 846 children in Kindergarten to Year 7 filled the school to overflowing. This necessitated the opening of Balga Junior Primary School on the same school site in 1971. Due to falling student numbers the two schools have since amalgamated to form one school under the original name Balga Primary School. The school now caters for Kindergarten to Year 6 with the current student population at 150.
At the 50th Anniversary celebration, the 25th anniversary time capsule was opened. Times have changed in the 25 years since the last capsule was assembled. While English and Mathematics are still the focus areas of education the report cards and specialist areas have changed. The biggest change noted from past to present is the integration of technology into all aspects of the curriculum. Today, there is a well-equipped computer lab; iPads deployed in each classroom and interactive whiteboards to support engagement in student learning. Balga prides itself on providing students with access to a state of the art learning environment.
The community has always worked in partnership with the school starting with the School Council forming in 1987. In 2015 we entered a new era of collaboration with a successful bid to become an Independent Public School and the forming of a School Board. This has allowed us to take the school to the next level of working with the parents and wider community to support the students by giving them the targeted education they need to reach their full potential.
