St Mary's College - Toowoomba

Evolving With Purpose: Strategic Planning for a Contemporary All-Boys Education

Founded in 1899, St Mary’s College is a Catholic school for boys from Years 5 to 12 in Toowoomba. For over 125 years, the College has played a vital role in educating young men in regional Queensland.

Challenges

  • With the appointment of a new Principal, St Mary’s College embraced the opportunity to reflect on its identity as an all-boys school in contemporary society and to articulate a clear vision for the future. Like many boys’ schools across Australia, the College recognised the sector is evolving and facing increasing social scrutiny—prompting a need to demonstrate its relevance, value, and positive impact.
  • With CBA’s support, the College set out to develop a comprehensive Strategic Plan for 2023-2025 that reaffirmed its commitment to its Vision: Today’s Boy’s, Men for Tomorrow.
  • The Principal viewed the process as a valuable learning opportunity—to listen deeply and use community insights to guide the College’s future direction. At the same time, the strategic engagement needed to consider a wide range of market drivers and emerging trends that could influence the College’s development in the years ahead.

Solutions

  • For the first time and with guidance from CBA, St Mary’s College undertook a comprehensive engagement process designed to independently capture a broad range of perspectives. This included input from more than 900 students across all year levels, along with staff, parents, middle leaders, and the College Advisory Board.
  • The year-long project required thoughtful coordination and expert facilitation. CBA implemented a multi-layered approach, including stakeholder forums, surveys, and feedback sessions. These highly interactive forums encouraged honest conversations around key questions and ensured that every voice in the community was heard.
  • In parallel, CBA reviewed research and data exploring the future of single-sex and co-educational models. While enrolment interest remained strong, the process identified the need to explore issues such as fee structure, long-term financial sustainability, and evolving family expectations.
  • The College Board was highly engaged throughout the process, recognising its significance in shaping the school’s next chapter. Once the consultation was complete, the leadership team came together to define a shared path forward.

Outcomes

  • One of the key outcomes was a stronger focus on partnerships—fostering closer collaboration with local girls’ schools, building industry links, and opening the College more widely to the broader community.
  • Several major initiatives emerged from the strategic planning process, including the development of STEM projects in partnership with a local aerospace company and the revitalisation of the Old Boys’ Association. These initiatives signalled a new energy and openness in the way the College approached its future.