Newman College Mission Statement

Newman College is a Catholic school educating in the Marist Tradition which endeavours
to lead students to know and love Jesus Christ.

With Mary as our model in faith, we encourage students to grow into the fullness of their
humanity in an educational environment where they feel welcomed, accepted and valued.

Principal’s Welcome to Newman College

It is with great pride that we celebrate being part of the Newman College community. Newman College is a Catholic School educating in the Marist tradition. The College exists to provide a co-educational learning centre for Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12 students. We strive to animate our delivery of learning, teaching and wellbeing, as one which is innovative and creative, underpinned by contemporary and relevant pedagogy. Our Vision for Learning ‘Shine through Discovery’ – Let your light shine (Matthew 5:16) inspires our faith and learning community to Challenge, Collaborate, Create and Celebrate who we are and what we seek to achieve.

The scripture passage Let your light shine (Matthew 5:16) encapsulates our aspiration for our community to let their gifts and talents shine, represented through the image of the light. It is this light that will guide our students to personalised learning pathways that will give them the very best opportunity to be successful lifelong learners and agents of change.

With Mary as our model in faith, we encourage students to grow into the fullness of their humanity in an educational environment where they feel welcomed, accepted and valued.

Newman College is one of 56 Marist Schools across Australia that celebrate our Marist heritage. Joining a network that expands through 83 countries around the world, we are part of a global community that provides support and opportunity to our students and teachers.

We welcome you to Newman College and encourage all students, teachers and visitors to embrace our Vision, and Shine through Discovery.

Mr Andrew Watson, Principal

Marist Schools

The commencement of Marist Schools began with the Society of the Little Brothers of Mary (The Marist Brothers). This was founded in the early 19th century by St. Marcellin Champagnat. He was motivated by the need to support young people in coming to know God and in gaining an education which would help them to become honest and productive members of the community.

Newman College is one of 56 Marist Schools in Australia. Furthermore, it is the largest Catholic school in Western Australia. In addition, Newman College is a congregationally owned College governed by Marist Schools Australia (MSA). Above all, it is part of a global Marist community spanning 83 countries around the world.

Marist schools globally embrace the principle ‘to bring up children properly, we must love them, and love them equally’.

Marist Association of St Marcellin Champagnat

The Marist Association of St Marcellin Champagnat is the community that sponsors and governs Marist works in Australia. It is the ‘mother’ that must nurture and shape Marist life and mission.

An overview of the Marist Association of St Marcellin Champagnat may be found on its website http://www.maristassociation.org.au/  The Marist Association of St Marcellin Champagnat represents an evolving and contemporary expression of Marist life which seeks to invite all of us:

• Individual members and local groups
• Principals and leaders of Ministries
• Boards, Councils and Committees that have stewardship of our works
• Brothers and their communities
• Those who serve and enable our mission through the teams based at our National Marist Centres in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

This philosophy permeates the distinctive characteristics of a Marist education at Newman College:

• Presence – Firstly, building caring relationships based on trust, respect and valuing each person
• Simplicity – Secondly, open and honest communication which accommodates individual needs
• Family Spirit – Thirdly, emphasis on communal well-being where mutual support and shared responsibility flourish
• Love of Work – Forth, pursuit of excellence through hard work and commitment. Recognition that the dignity of work is achievable by setting high expectations and standards, applying genuine effort and celebrating success
• Way of Mary – Finally, with Mary as a model, students are invited to share our spiritual life through prayer, liturgies and service to the local and wider communities

Learn more about our Marist Community

In conclusion, if you would like to find out more about Newman College and our Marist community, you may Book a Tour. Tours include members of the Senior Leadership Team.

History of Newman College

The Marist Brothers’ introduction to education in Western Australia began in 1913 at St Ildephonsus College at New Norcia. The school was built by the Benedictine monks who asked the Marist Brothers to run it, which they did, until handing it back at the end of 1964. (The Benedictines then reopened the school as St Benedict’s.)

In 1954 the Brothers founded St Joseph’s College on Salvado Road, Subiaco, on the west side of St Joseph’s Church, which was the Marist Brothers’ first school in the Perth metropolitan area. 

Almost opposite, were St Joseph’s (Brigidine) Primary and Secondary Schools, established by the Brigidine Sisters in 1942 and 1943 respectively. Even from these early days, some classes were shared between the Marist boys and the Brigidine girls. This was the continuation of a natural alliance; many had attended the co-educational St Joseph’s (Brigidine) Primary School together. 

In 1962 the Brigidines opened Brigidine College in Floreat. Their junior girls moved to the Brigidine Secondary campus on Salvado Road and their senior girls moved to Floreat. The same year, the Dominican Sisters opened Siena Girls’ High School in Doubleview. 

In 1964, in the leadup to the closure of St Ildephonsus, the Marists began building in Churchlands and, in 1965, opened Marist (Senior) College there. St Joseph’s in Subiaco reopened as Marist (Junior) College, catering to boys from Years 4 to Sub Junior (Year 9), and all students from Junior to Leaving (Years 10-12) were moved to the Senior campus. Seventy boarders from St Ildephonsus College transferred to Marist (Senior) College for their final three years of schooling, using three upper classrooms as boarding dormitories. 

In 1977 an amalgamation of the schools administered by the Brigidine Sisters (Floreat and Wembley), Dominican Sisters (Doubleview) and the Marist Brothers (Churchlands) led to the creation of Newman College, named for John Henry Newman, a great religious theologian and leader in the English Catholic Church. 

In 2005 the Primary and Secondary schools united to form the current K-12 College administered by one Principal. Newman College is a congregational-owned College governed by Marist Schools Australia.

In recent times

• In 2009, the Year 7 cohort relocated from the Primary School (Lavalla Campus) to the Middle School (Marcellin Campus).
• In 2010, the Year 3 cohort relocated from Early Childhood (Marian Campus) to the Primary School (Lavalla Campus).
• In 2011, the first intake of 3 year old Pre-Kindergarten students commenced at the Marian Campus.

2023 WACE Results

It is with great pride that the Newman College community celebrates the Class of 2023 for their excellent WACE results across our senior pathways. The Class of 2023 embraced their aim of leaving a legacy of positivity and a desire to lead the community with authenticity and presence to all. Their success is evident in their results, their contribution to College Life, and living out the Marist characteristics of Presence, Family Spirit, Simplicity, Love of Work and in the Way of Mary.

In 2023, 98% of year 12 students achieved WA Certificate of Education. For students on the ATAR Pathway, the school achieved a median ATAR of 87.15%, which was 3.3% above the state average. Four students achieved an ATAR of over 99%, with one student achieving 99.9%. Students from Newman won 28 outstanding achievement awards including an Exhibition in Outdoor Education.

For students on the General Pathway, 72 VET Certificates were awarded ranging from 37 Certificate II to eight Certificate IV and a Newman student took out the award for the Top VET Student. We also had 45 students graduate the Curtin UniReady Course.

To read the full results, click here.