Our story

The traditional custodians of the land are the Gamilaraay/Yuwaalaraay people.

St Joseph’s Primary School was opened by the Sisters of St Joseph in 1896 and in 1995 the Christian Brothers came to teach at the school. The school has its origins in the vision of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, a woman dedicated to the education of the poor, and Blessed Edmund Rice, the founder of the teaching order of Christian Brothers.

While St Joseph’s serves the Catholic Parish of St Mary’s in the township of Walgett, our open enrolment policy encourages all children to apply to attend our school. 51% of our children are of Indigenous origin.

The school has refurbished classrooms throughout, with leading information technology facilities to enhance teaching and learning in all learning spaces. In 2012 Senator Matt Thistlethwaite opened our New Multipurpose Hall and the Language Cultural Centre. These new facilities have provided us with great spaces to ensure our students have state–of–the art facilities in which to work and learn.