Our History

Korowa’s story began in 1890 in Malvern, Melbourne, when founder Henrietta Akehurst established a small school from her home in Pine Grove.

It was a modest beginning: one teacher, one student, and one room. But the ambition was much bigger.

As enrolments increased, the School moved to Wattletree Road before outgrowing that site too. Korowa needed room to build a school for the future.

That opportunity came in 1914.

Under the leadership of Korowa’s second Principal, Ethel Akehurst, the School moved to Ranfurlie in Glen Iris, the site Korowa Anglican Girls’ School still calls home today

The move to Glen Iris was a defining moment in Korowa’s history.

In 1914, Ranfurlie was surrounded by open land, paddocks, and orchards. Its grounds gave Korowa something its previous homes could not: space to grow.

And grow it did.

By 1913, Korowa already had 100 students, including five boarders. The Korovian Club was established in 1917, creating an enduring connection between former students and the School. In 1919, Korowa became a member of the Association of Church of England Girls’ Grammar Schools.

A purpose-built Senior School followed in 1926, laying the foundations for the campus that would continue to develop over the next century.

Korowa’s growth has never followed a straight line.

When Margaret Dickson became Principal in 1930, Australia was entering the Great Depression. Korowa faced financial uncertainty at a time when other schools were closing or amalgamating.

Korowa pushed forward. By the middle of the decade, student numbers had almost doubled, reaching 354 by 1939.

The Second World War brought another period of disruption, with shortages, staffing challenges, and growing pressure on the School’s facilities. Yet demand for a Korowa education continued to grow. By the post-war years, classrooms were crowded and waiting lists were forming.

It established a pattern that has continued throughout Korowa’s history: responding to change without losing sight of why the School exists.

For decades, Korowa was more than a school for many students. It was home.

Boarding began in Korowa’s earliest years, possibly with students living with founder Henrietta Akehurst at Pine Grove. Definite records of boarding date to the early 1910s.

When Korowa moved to Glen Iris, boarders lived at Ranfurlie, later known as Knox House.

Boarding became particularly popular during the 1940s and 1950s, when around 40 to 50 students commonly lived at the School. In 1955, there were 57 boarders among Korowa’s 727 students.

Many came from regional Victoria, while others travelled from interstate and further afield. Their memories capture another side of Korowa life: early morning music practice, sport on the oval, supervised study, weekend outings, shared meals, school traditions, and friendships that endured long after graduation.

Formal boarding ended in 1960, although three students continued living with Korowa history teacher Mrs Longmore until 1963.

The appointment of Beatrice Guyett as Principal in 1950 began another significant period in the history of Korowa Anglican Girls’ School.

As Melbourne grew in the post-war years, so did Korowa.

New learning facilities transformed the Glen Iris campus. The Middle School block was completed in 1954, including the Dickson Wing, named in honour of former Principal Margaret Dickson. In 1956, the first Korowa Girls’ Representative Council was established, giving students an ongoing voice in School life.

Further development across the campus created new opportunities in academics, science, the arts, sport, and community life.

Korowa was becoming a larger school, but its purpose remained deeply personal: providing an education that challenged students while supporting them to discover who they could become.

In 1990, Korowa celebrated its centenary, marking 100 years since the School’s foundation.

The milestone became an opportunity not only to celebrate the past, but to invest in the future.

The Margaret McPherson Centre opened for Music, the Korowa Foundation was established, and And, As We Journey: A History of Korowa Anglican Girls’ School, 1890–1990 was published.

The School’s centenary history captured an idea that remains relevant today: understanding where Korowa has come from helps the community move confidently towards what comes next.

From a single room in Malvern to a contemporary campus in Glen Iris, the evolution of Korowa’s physical environment reflects the evolution of education itself.

The decades following the centenary brought further investment in spaces designed around how students learn, connect, create, and grow.

The Early Learning Centre opened in 1994, extending the Korowa learning journey into the early years. The campus continued to evolve through major building and redevelopment projects, including the redevelopment of the Junior School in 2010.

In 2022, the Roslyn Otzen Sports and Wellbeing Centre opened. Named in honour of former Principal Dr Roslyn Otzen, it represented the largest building project in Korowa’s history and created a contemporary home for sport, health, movement, and wellbeing.

Each generation has left its mark on the campus. And each development has prepared Korowa for the generation to follow.

Today, Korowa Anglican Girls’ School is an independent Anglican girls’ school in Glen Iris, Melbourne, educating students from Early Learning through to VCE.

The School of today would be almost unrecognisable to the small community that began in Malvern in 1890.

Yet the thread connecting them is clear.

For more than 135 years, Korowa has created opportunities for students to think independently, pursue their interests, discover their capabilities, and step confidently into the world beyond school.

Thousands of students have now added their stories to Korowa’s history. They’ve learned here, led here, performed here, competed here, questioned here, built friendships here, and carried those experiences into communities and careers around the world.

Our history matters. But Korowa has never been a school that stands still.

The next chapter is already being written.