The oldest school in the area was Balwyn Primary School established by residents in 1868 north of Whitehorse Road, followed by a new larger school in 1880 in its present location. As the population increased, Canterbury children would walk up to 2 miles each way to school, up and down hill. Some found Camberwell or Surrey Hills Primary Schools closer.

The Education Act of 1872 had made Victoria the first colony (and one of the world’s first areas) to offer free, secular and compulsory education to children. The State Education Department was responsible for staffing and the curriculum but a local Board of Advice had responsibility for day to day running of schools in the area. They were the ones that Canterbury parents approached when they wanted their own school but it took 8 years before Canterbury Primary School opened in 1908 with over 400 pupils.

In the late 1890s, there were many small privately-run schools which were often short-lived and run by women. They filled the demands of ‘aspiring middle-class residents’. Fintona Girls’ School and Camberwell Grammar School started as owner/ head teacher schools that moved to Canterbury into larger houses as they grew. Other private schools, catering for girls: Strathcona and Camberwell Church of England Grammar School opened in the 1920’s.

There were no state secondary schools in the City of Camberwell before East Camberwell Girl’s School opened in Mangarra Road in 1928. Camberwell High School didn’t open until 1941.