Bendigo Schools and Education Guide: Public, Private, and University

Bendigo's education landscape is one of regional Victoria's most comprehensive: the city's strong independent school sector, the well-regarded government school network, and the La Trobe University Bendigo campus together create an education environment that supports a wide range of academic paths from the most gifted students to those pursuing vocational and trade qualifications. The V/Line connection to Melbourne (90-120 minutes) also extends Bendigo students' effective tertiary education options to include the full range of Melbourne universities.

Government Schools in Bendigo — the Victorian Department of Education operates approximately 60 government schools in the Bendigo metropolitan area. Bendigo's most regarded government secondary schools include Bendigo Senior Secondary College (the dedicated Years 11-12 college that is one of regional Victoria's highest-performing senior secondary institutions for VCE outcomes), Bendigo South East College (a strong comprehensive secondary school serving the growing south-eastern suburbs), and the specialist pathways programs at several Bendigo government schools. The Victorian government's selective entry program extends to Bendigo via the V/Line connection to Melbourne's selective entry high schools.

Private Schools in Bendigo — Bendigo's independent school sector includes several prestigious long-established institutions: Bendigo Grammar School (the Anglican independent school, one of regional Victoria's most established, with strong academic and sporting programs), Sacred Heart Cathedral School (the Catholic primary and secondary school, the largest Catholic school in Bendigo), Christian College Bendigo, and Girton Grammar School (one of Victoria's largest regional independent schools, co-educational, with strong academic and arts programs) provide the main private education options across the religious and academic spectrum.

La Trobe University Bendigo — the La Trobe University Bendigo campus (Flora Hill, 5km east of the Bendigo CBD) is one of La Trobe's most important regional campuses and a significant driver of Bendigo's knowledge economy: LTU Bendigo is particularly strong in nursing and health sciences (the La Trobe Rural Health School provides health education programs for regional and rural Victoria, addressing the significant shortage of health professionals in regional communities), law, education, and business. The Bendigo campus recently completed a significant redevelopment (the new student precinct and academic building were completed in 2019) and is one of regional Victoria's most impressive university campuses. The Bendigo-Melbourne V/Line connection allows LTU Bendigo students to also access Melbourne campus programs and facilities.

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