Construction has started on a new high school, primary school and preschool in a rapidly growing Hunter town.
Government representatives broke ground on the new education hub in Huntlee on Friday June 12, the region's first new town in 50 years.
The schools will serve the communities of Branxton, Huntlee and North Rothbury, and are intended to take pressure off Branxton Public School.
Huntlee has an estimated 8800 residents, which was expected to increase to 14,100 by 2041 with the Branxton/Greta/North Rothbury population forecast to grow to more than 25,000 by 2056.
Member for Cessnock Clayton Barr said the community had been waiting a long time for this day.
"Breaking ground on these schools means that kids growing up in North Rothbury, Greta and Branxton will have world-class public education right on their doorstep," he said.
"I was sounding the alarm about a lack of schools to meet the looming population boom as far back as 2012," he said.
The school was expected to open Term 1 2028, catering for 1500 students with 500 in primary school, 1000 in high school and a public preschool for up to 120 children per week.
The high school will have 54 classrooms, facilities for specialist support classes, a library, administration spaces, and workshops for construction and kitchen for hospitality.
The primary school will have 27 classrooms with sports and play facilities at both schools.
Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said the sod-turning at the school marked a major milestone for the area.
"Until now, families moving into this area to build their lives have had to send their children as far as 20 kilometres away, to schools that were bursting at the seams," she said.
Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said Friday marked the beginning of a project that locals had been asking for over many years.
"For Huntlee, this isn't just a sod turn - it's a sign of a community coming into its own and a government investing in its future," she said.
Public consultation was underway on the naming of the new schools, with the department of education encouraging community members to have their say at: edu.nsw.link/School name survey for Huntlee.
