Meridan State College

Meridan State College is located in a western suburb of Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast, within walking distance of the beach. The school is a Prep to Year 12 College, covering all grades from preschool to senior high school.  A dense rainforest separates the buildings of the Primary school from those of the older students and creates a very beautiful and nature-loving atmosphere.

Meridan State College is still relatively young, but has already earned the reputation of a high performance school that attaches great importance to excellence in teaching and high standards of behavior. In terms of content, the focus is on economic and technological subjects as well as sports, music and dance. Outside of the regular classes there is a dance program for which you must first qualify,  with smaller or larger ensembles performing at school events or even taking part in national competitions.

Meridan State College offers two exceptionally exciting programs specifically for international guest students. One is the Aussie Adventure Program with three key areas: team building, personal growth and culture awareness. It focuses on the following activities: Learn to Surf Program, Mountain Biking, Stand Up Paddle Boarding, Canoeing, Rock Climbing and an Indigenous cooking classes.

On the other hand, there is the Marine Science International Program which combines the theoretical aspects of our Year 10, 11 and 12 courses with hands-on laboratory experiences and field work techniques. Students learn about all the marine ecosystems that make Queensland such a unique place, from rocky shores to mangroves, seagrasses and, of course, coral reefs. Year 11 does a field work experience in marine science at the Moreton Bay Research Station on North Stradbroke Island. Year 12 student’s field work is based on the coral reefs at Lady Elliot Island.

For international students there are also opportunities every term for excursions lasting several days. Internationals can travel to Sydney or get to know exciting places like Fraser Island. You can also choose from a three-day trip to the Tangalooma Island Resort on Moreton Island, including snorkeling over a shipwreck and feeding dolphins in the wild.

Another way to participate in a chosen sport outside of regular classes is the Performance Program. For example the Meridan Basketball Performance Team trains three times per week (either before or after school) and will attend tournaments and competitions with other teams around the Sunshine Coast. They also have the chance to continue onto Regional competitions if they progress through the local competitions. This would be the same for Netball, Oz Tag, Rugby League and Volleyball.