Knox Grammar School is an independent Uniting Church day and boarding school for boys, officially located in Wahroonga, with the majority of its campus situated in the neighbouring suburb of Warrawee, on Sydney's Upper North Shore, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1924 by the Presbyterian Church of Australia as an all-boys school named after John Knox. The school has since grown, branching out into a large Senior School and a Preparatory School, enrolling approximately 3,345 students. The school also caters for approximately 210 boarding students from Years 7 to 12.
Knox is affiliated with the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA), the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA), and is a founding member of the Combined Associated Schools (CAS).
History
Knox Grammar School was established on Sydney's North Shore in 1924, by the Presbyterian Church. The school was named after John Knox, the 16th century Scottish reformer, who planned a network of schools in every church parish.
Knox opened as a Presbyterian Boys' School after founding members John Gilmore, William McIlrath, Robert Gillespie and Andrew Reid purchased the original property, 'Earlston', as the first school building. Now the Gillespie Heritage House, 'Earlston' was previously owned by Sir Charles Mackellar, was designed by architects Spain & Cosh, and built in 1908 for W. Moses Esq., Warrawee.
The school was officially opened by the Hon. Sir George Fuller KCMG, Premier of New South Wales, on 5 February 1924. Under the founding headmaster Neil MacNeil, a Rhodes Scholar, Knox grew rapidly and survived the Great Depression. From 1924 to 1939 when MacNeil's time as headmaster ended the school's enrolment had risen from 28 to 300 students.
Headmasters
The first Headmaster of Knox was Neil MacNeil, a Rhodes scholar from Victoria. During his time as Headmaster, Knox grew in academic achievement and the campus and facilities were expanded. MacNeil guided Knox through the Great Depression which started during the initial founding years of the school. When the school opened, only 28 students attended Knox, by the end of Neil MacNeil's time as Headmaster in 1939, the amount of students had risen to over 300.
In 1939, William Bryden FRSE (1904–1992) took over the role of headmaster. As World War II broke out, around 370 Old Knox Grammarians served in the armed forces. 53 of them lost their lives and are now commemorated in the John Williams Memorial Hall, the School Chapel, the Old Students' War Memorial, and the original Science Building. The school's Pipe Band was established during Bryden's period as headmaster. John Mill Couper, a Scot, became headmaster in 1953. Couper focused on broadening the School's education, with attention to music and art, however, problems culminated in Couper's departure from a divided Knox in 1955.
Dr John Couper succeed Bryden as the third Headmaster of Knox. Couper built on the school's concept of education, paying attention to the performing arts and creative arts of the school. During his time as headmaster, Dr. Couper was able to develop the house system into what it is seen as today.
T. Ross McKenzie, former head of Brisbane Boys' College, replaced Couper.
Dr. Ian Paterson was the fifth headmaster of Knox Grammar School and has been the longest serving headmaster to date. During his time as headmaster he made many changes to the school including a new buildings: the Reid Industrial Arts Building, the Lawson Sports Centre, and the Music Centre. This greatly changed the school building it into what it is today.
Paterson improved the Creative Arts and Performing Arts areas of the school with the introduction of specialist teachers. He started outdoor education programs. During this period three teachers sexually abused students; these teachers were later convicted and it has been alleged that other teachers abused students. In 2015 Paterson told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that he had failed to protect students from abuse.
In 2018, Scott James, who was formerly the deputy headmaster, became Knox's eighth headmaster, succeeding John Weeks.
Headmasters PeriodDetails1924–1939Neil MacNeil1939–1953William Bryden CBE1954–1955John Mill Couper1956–1969T. Ross McKenzie OBE1969–1998Ian Paterson AM1999–2003Peter Crawley2004–2018John Weeks2018–PresentScott James
Motto Knox Grammar School’s motto, Virile Agitur, is a Latin phrase that has traditionally been rendered in English as “Do the Manly Thing” (most common in the Preparatory School) or “The manly thing is being done.” The phrase draws the New Testament exhortation 1 Corinthians 16:13–14, where St Paul urges believers to “be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong” and to “do everything in love.”
In the context of Knox’s founding by the Presbyterian Church in 1924, the motto was chosen to reflect a Christian ideal of disciplined, courageous manhood grounded in faith and service. The biblical underpinning connects the “manly thing” not only to masculinity or toughness, but to the Pauline call to live with integrity, courage and love in all aspects of life - academic, spiritual and communal - which continues to shape the school’s ethos today.
Campus
There are several locations throughout Sydney being part of Knox Grammar School, with the main two campus located in the suburb Wahroonga. The two main campuses are the Knox Grammar Senior School (Years 7 to 12), located on the railway side of the Pacific Highway, and the Knox Grammar Preparatory School (Years Kindergarten to 6), located on Billyard Avenue. The smallest campus is Wahroonga Preparatory School, a small co-educational school located next to Wahroonga Park.
Facilities
Knox's senior campus includes the Great Hall and Aquatic Centre (opened August 2011), sports facility, gymnasium, squash and weights rooms, music and drama centres, two boarding houses (one opened September 2010) and the new performing arts academy (opened late 2019). Knox owns several major sporting fields including one on campus at the Senior School, two on campus at the Prep School, and two off campus in Warrawee and neighbouring North Turramurra.
Since 2006 the school has been actively involved in the Future Problem Solving Program.
Building projects
Knox has in recent years completed new buildings at both the Senior and Prep Schools. The Senior School's KG1 Building opened in 2007. The KG1 Project The Prep School's K-2 Centre, opened in 2004, provided new classroom, library, art and music facilities for Years K-2 students.
The new Boarding Centre was finished in September 2010. The Great Hall and Aquatic Centre project, was finished in August 2011 and won design awards in 2012.
Construction for the new Knox Senior Student Academy began in 2014, with construction continuing to August 2015 and the academy being officially opened in October 2015. The building houses the lockers of Year 11 and Year 12 students, as well as featuring a cafe, classrooms for Science as well as Finance and Legal classrooms, a Senior Library and a Lecture theatre.
In 2016, Headmaster John Weeks announced that Knox Grammar School would commence construction of a new Performing Arts Centre and Junior Secondary Academy in February 2017, known as the Junior Performing Arts Centre (JPAC). It was completed in early 2019.
The Senior School's construction for a new locker area for Years 7–10 as well as a basketball court, which is in the process of refurbishing the KG1 Building for the new Middle Academy, was completed in early 2020.
Co-curriculum
Army Cadet Unit
The Knox Ravenswood Army Cadet Unit (KRACU) comprises up to 1200+ members, ranging from recruits (RCTs) to Cadet Under Officers (CUOs). The KRACU is an army cadet unit within the NSW 2nd AAC BDE. Participation is compulsory from the start of Term 4 Year 8, through to the end of Term 3 Year 9 for attendees of Knox Grammar School, and offers voluntary participation for attendees at the Ravenswood School for Girls from Term 4 Year 8. After the completion of basic recruit training in their first year, cadets may decide to either discharge from the Unit, or attend a Promotion Course to attempt to attain a higher rank and/or continue into a Senior or Recruit company.
The Unit participates in combined Annual Field Exercise (AFX) at the end of Term 1, and holds its own Junior, Senior, and CUOs Promotions Courses during August each year. Additionally, the KRACU holds ceremonial parades for the Old Knox Grammarians Association (OKGA), an ANZAC Day Parade to commemorate ANZAC Day (though held several weeks after the day itself), and a Passing-Out Parade at the end of the cadet year to farewell the Year 12 members at the conclusion of their service to the Unit.
The KRACU was formerly called the Knox Grammar School Army Cadet Unit (KGSACU), but was renamed to its current name in 2024 to "acknowledge and formalise the deep and lasting partnership between Knox and Ravenswood School for Girls".
Sport
Knox is a member of the Combined Associated Schools (CAS), and plays competitive sport against the five other member Schools namely, Barker College, Cranbrook School, St. Aloysius College, Trinity Grammar School and Waverley College. Trial and pre-season fixtures are played against the GPS and ISA Schools. Students may represent Knox in a variety of inter-school sporting fixtures played each Saturday throughout the term.
The Intra-School sporting programs includes House carnivals, Standards and Inter-School competitions open to all boys.
Participating in sport at Knox is compulsory in both the winter and summer sporting seasons.
Knox plays 5 weeks of sport against GPS schools, and then 5 weeks of sport against CAS schools
CAS premierships Knox Grammar School has won the following CAS premierships.
Athletics (29) – 1929, 1931, 1933, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1992, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 Australian Football – 2021 Basketball (9) — 1978, 1979, 1980, 1997, 2009, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Cricket (15) – 1936, 1940, 1941, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016 Cross Country (4) – 1993, 1994, 1998, 2006 Debating (7) — 1998, 2000, 2007, 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025 Diving (3) – 2007, 2009, 2011 Rugby (25) – 1932, 1934, 1936, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1945, 1954, 1957, 1962, 1964, 1967, 1972, 1976, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2016 Soccer (10) – 1993, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2022 Swimming (37) – 1933, 1934, 1939, 1941, 1947, 1948, 1959, 1963, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1992, 2003, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 Tennis Summer (20) – 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 Tennis Winter (10) – 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Volleyball Summer (2) – 2002, 2009, 2022, 2023 Water Polo – 2020, 2022, 2023
Music Knox has a Gallery Choir and the Knox Symphony Orchestra (KSO). Its Symphonic Wind Ensemble (SWE) toured Spain and Portugal in December 2019. The Knox Symphony Orchestra toured Croatia, Slovenia and Italy in December 2023.
The Ronald Sharp pipe organ in the school's chapel, built in 1965, is highly significant as the first of many Baroque revival (or Orgelbewegung) mechanical action pipe organs built in Australia in the latter half of the 20th century, and is a sibling to organs in St Mary's Cathedral, Perth Concert Hall, Wollongong Town Hall, and the Sydney Opera House.
Knox Grammar School Pipes and Drums