After decades as an all-girls secondary school, Our Lady’s College in Annerley is set for a major transformation, with boys to be welcomed from Term 1 2030 while neighbouring Mary Immaculate Primary School closes at the end of 2026.
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Our Lady’s College: a new chapter
In a recent announcement, Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) says the shift to co-education reflects strong community interest in mixed-gender Catholic schooling in the area.
The transition will be staged, with the first cohort of Year 7 boys expected to begin in Term 1, 2030, subject to relevant planning and approval processes. The college, which currently enrols around 350 students, is also set to expand as part of the move.
BCE’s acting executive director Ross Tarlinton OAM pointed to the success of Holy Spirit College at Fitzgibbon as a signal of where demand is heading. That school, which opened as a co-educational secondary in 2022, reached its full Year 7 intake capacity this year and is preparing for its first graduating cohort in 2027.
BCE also announced last year that a new co-ed secondary school would be built at Windsor on the site of the former St Mary of the Cross primary school. Expressions of interest for that school have already exceeded 600 enquiries.
Mr Tarlinton said BCE anticipated similar interest for Annerley from 2030. He described demand for co-educational schooling as a sign of the community’s appetite for quality Catholic education in inner-city Brisbane.
The Mary Immaculate buildings back directly onto the Our Lady’s College campus, and BCE has flagged they could potentially be absorbed into the expanded secondary school, though no formal decisions have been made about the land.
Mary Immaculate Primary School: end of an era
For families currently enrolled at Mary Immaculate Primary School, the closure marks the end of a long chapter in local Catholic education. The school adjoins the Our Lady’s College grounds and will close at the conclusion of Term 4, 2026.
BCE cited demographic shifts as the driving factor. Combined enrolments at Mary Immaculate and St Brendan’s Primary School in nearby Moorooka have fallen by roughly one third since 2021, with each school now enrolling fewer than 75 students.
Families at Mary Immaculate will be offered places at other BCE schools in the area. BCE has pointed to St Sebastian’s Catholic Primary School at Yeronga and St Pius X Catholic Primary School at Salisbury as nearby options. The organisation says it is working closely with affected families and staff to support them through the transition in the months ahead.
Read: Celebrating 100 years of Mary Immaculate School, Annerley
What it means for the community
The announcements mark a significant shift in how BCE delivers Catholic education on Brisbane’s inner southside. BCE runs 146 schools across south-east Queensland, serving around 80,000 students, and says the decisions reflect a commitment to maintaining a strong and sustainable Catholic education presence in inner-city Brisbane.
For the Annerley community, the co-education announcement points to a long-term future for Our Lady’s College in the suburb, while families and staff at Mary Immaculate navigate the months ahead.
BCE said student and staff wellbeing remains its priority as the organisation moves through the remainder of 2026 and begins planning for the changes ahead.
Published 15-May-2026
