The first Manly High School opened in a small stone cottage on 28th September, 1858 with a class of eight pupils.
In 1900, Manly Superiour Public School, with 23 pupils was opened on the corner of Belgrave and Carlton Streets. Superiour meant the school catered for some secondary students. The first public secondary school in Manly Warringah was the Manly Domestic Science Continuation School in 1923. By 1939, this school was renamed the Manly Public School and term "domestic service" dropped with the increasing pressure to train girls in more academic subjects.
In 1945, Manly Junior High School moved to temporary accommodation at Balgowlah and was raised to the status of a full high school in 1949. Manly Boy's High School moved to its present site in 1954 and was a part of the selective schools system (1950 -1965). With the introduction of the Wyndham Scheme, the school assumed the status of a comprehensive single sex high school. The demands for co-education led to the eventual change to Manly High School in 1983. Since 1990, the school has become a part of the State Selective Schools System.
The school has produced an impressive array of achievements, both academic and sporting, and our students have progressed to hold positions as NSW Governor, to Federal and State governments, university lecturers and tutors, partners in accountancy, law and medical firms, sporting professionals, Olympic representation and Australian sporting teams.
The present Principal, Mr. Terry Buggy, was appointed in 1991.
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