Choosing a Girls’ School

Girls are at the centre of everything we do.

For 140 years we have been a girls’ school and a specialist in girls' education.

An education at Wilderness provides an unparalleled opportunity for each girl to build upon her capacity to lead and have agency in her personal and professional life.

Guided by her teachers and peers she is encouraged to leverage opportunities and face challenges with agility and resilience while maximising her growth and achievement.

Here, she will emerge as a connected and engaged learner, prepared to succeed and contribute to a complex and rapidly changing world.

Globally there are distinct advantages that have been recognised for an all girls’ education.

Academic advantages

Girls’ schools achieve significantly stronger academic results than any other group in Australia. In this environment, girls are free to pursue academic excellence and each achievement is celebrated.

Countless opportunities

Girls enjoy not only equal opportunities but every opportunity. All activities are open to girls; they participate, influence and lead. There is no gender stereotyping with subject selection and career pathways.

Role models and leadership

All the leadership roles in girls' schools are filled by girls; from the captain of the Touch Football team to the head of the student body; from the first trumpet in the School orchestra to the main part in the School play and from student leadership groups to the leaders of every School club. Younger students see these female leaders as role models and learn that girls can lead in any field.

Counteracting negative influences

Girls can work through the challenges of adolescence without fear of embarrassment or harassment. Many girls' schools run specific programs which counteract negative body imagery and ideals of how girls and women are portrayed in the media. Educators in girls' schools believe strongly in helping girls to accept and be comfortable with 'who they are'.

A tailored curriculum

Girls' education is a specialised field. Teachers tailor their classes and curriculum for the girls. This means that students are more likely to be engaged with the content and the methods used in each subject. Girls are free to participate in class. In fact, they are centre stage.

Global citizens

Girls' schools prepare students to be citizens of the world, using rapidly developing technology and forming connections with girls in other countries. There is an emphasis on social justice and community as girls are encouraged to make connections with others outside the classroom walls.

For more information on the benefits of an all-girls education we encourage you to view the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia website.

Wilderness School is also a member of the Association of Independent Schools of South Australia.