Clayfield College

Clayfield College has its roots in the Brisbane Boys' College (BBC), which was established in 1902. By 1906, the college moved to Clayfield and later to Toowong in 1930, as it outgrew its original premises. The former site at Clayfield became the location for Clayfield College in 1931, as a primary school division of Somerville House, a girls' school. In 1935, the secondary school of Clayfield College was instituted, and it became a separate entity from Somerville House. In 1939, the college started its boarding school and adopted the Latin motto Luceat Lux Vestra, meaning Let Your Light Shine. The house system was initiated in 1946 with the first four houses being Campbell, Gibson, Radcliffe, and Youngman, followed by the addition of Henderson. In honor of Ida Nancy Ashburn, Clayfield's first principal who retired in 1964, Ashburn house was established, and the college library opened that year was named after her. Under the tenure of the second principal, Ida Kennedy, who served until 1990, the school saw significant expansions including the establishment of a science building, a new boarding house, an assembly hall, separate primary department, a second boarding house, the music centre, and new classrooms in the 70s and 80s. A chapel was also constructed in 1985. The college announced in September 2021 that it would be transitioning into a co-educational institution for both primary and secondary schools. Along with this transition, major renovations were planned in several areas including the PE Centre and Science Labs. As of 2023, the college will fully transition to a coeducational model (Pre-Prep to Year 12) using the Parallel Learning approach, where girls and boys learn together up to Year 6, study in single-gender classrooms from Year 7 to 9, come together for selected classes in Year 10, and attend fully mixed classes in Years 11 and 12.