Cairns State High School

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Cairns State High School (CSHS) is an independent public secondary school in the suburb of Cairns North in the city of Cairns, Queensland, Australia. It was founded in 1917 and is the oldest high school in Cairns. The school caters for grades 7 though 12 and has the capacity for 1,607 enrolled students.Template:When<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The principal of the school is Christopher Zilm.Template:When<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Cairns State High School was founded in 1917 as an annex of the Cairns Central State School, and moved to its current location in 1924 as a joint high school and technical college. In 1980, the technical college relocated, thus the site became solely a high school. In May 2014, Block A of Cairns State High School - the Cairns Technical College and High School Building - was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. This building was designed by Nigel Laman Thomas of the Department of Housing and Public Works in 1938,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and built in 1939 though 1941.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Curriculum

Cairns State High School participates in various interschool and representative sport associations, including Peninsula School Sport.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The school also performs dance, drama, and music productions, hosts study tours and student exchanges, and operates programmes for high-achieving students in STEM, sports, and the arts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

As of 2021, Cairns State High School no longer offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program which was introduced in 2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Campus

The facilities available on site include:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Auditorium
Events hall
Sports complex
Volleyball and multi-purpose courts
Science and computer laboratories
Art rooms (including kiln, printing, and photography rooms)
Practical arts rooms
Performing arts rooms (including dance studios)
Swimming pool

Awards and recognition

The school has received the following awards:

Best Orchestra Regional Area 2006 – The Orchestras of Australia Network Awards<ref name="education">Template:Cite web</ref>
Finalists – Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Art<ref name="education" />
Two High Distinctions, 25 Distinctions – Australasian English Competition<ref name="education" />
Three Distinctions, Three Credits – Australasian Schools Writing Competition<ref name="education" />
Cairns State High School Symphony Orchestra has also been winners of the competition FANFARE in 1992, 1994, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2016<ref name=fanfare>Template:Cite web</ref>
Cairns State High School Chorale has won the Creative Generation Choral Fanfare in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2025.Template:Citation needed

Notable alumni

Aron Baynes, NBA basketball playerTemplate:Citation needed
Cam Cairncross, former Major League Baseball playerTemplate:Citation needed
Matthew Deane, Thai-Australian singer, model, actor and television presenterTemplate:Citation needed
Charlie Dixon, AFL player for the Suns and PowerTemplate:Citation needed
Erin Holland, beauty pageant modelTemplate:Citation needed
Bob Manning, ex-mayor of the Cairns Regional Council Template:Citation needed
Dan Sultan, musician and activist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Brenton Thwaites, actorTemplate:Citation needed

Gallery

Block A from quadrangle
Quadrangle from Block A
Block E at night
Walkway near Block F
Choir performance in Crosswell Hall
Block A under construction, 1940
Fish (Fish) Prop (Property) used for Mama Mia rendition at Cairns State High School 2025.
A series of photographs documenting a Cairns State High School student from Year 10 to Year 12, capturing the school’s changing uniforms, not only from junior to senior levels, but also from informal to more formal policies.

A series of photographs documenting a Cairns State High School student from Year 10 to Year 12, capturing the school’s changing uniforms, not only from junior to senior levels, but also from informal to more formal policies.