Fort Street High School

Fort Street High School is a coeducational, selective high school, currently situated in Petersham, Sydney. Established in 1849, it is renowned for being the oldest government school in Australia, and for the achievements of its graduates.

The New South Wales government of the day established a model school at the old military barracks on Observatory Hill; this school was not only intended to educate boys and girls, but also to serve as a model for other schools in the colony. The school's name is derived from the name of a street which ran into the grounds of the hospital and became part of the playground during its reconstruction.

In 1916, the school split into Fort Street Boys' High and Fort Street Girls' High, with the former moving to the school's present site. The Girls' school remained at Observatory Hill until 1975, when the two schools were amalgamated to form the current coeducational school at Petersham.

The school's graduates include:

• Sir Edmund Barton, the first Prime Minister of Australia
• Neville Wran, former Premier of New South Wales
• H V Evatt, jurist and politician
• Michael Kirby, currently serving Justice of the High Court of Australia
• Sir Garfield Barwick, former Justice of the High Court
• Douglas Mawson, Antarctic explorer
• Dr John Yu, Australian of the Year 1996
• Margaret Preston, artist and teacher of art
• Mary Kostakidis, SBS newsreader and a member of founding management team

Fort Street High, being a selective school, draws students from across metropolitan Sydney and across the multicultural spectrum.