Late in 1984 the Southern Area Education Office commenced a program of consultation with the Hallett Cove community with the objective of establishing an R-10 school. In March 1985 a Parents’ Reference Group was formed and in September of that year established itself as an Interim School Council.
Hallett Cove School opened in February. 1987 as the only R-10 school in metropolitan Adelaide. Ms Susan Monks was the school’s first Principal and there were 300 students from Reception to Year 7 on the first day of school. The school grew rapidly and classroom accommodation shortages and zoning issues were topics of conversation throughout 1988 – 89.
Dr Peter Jackson was the second Principal of the school and commenced duties mid-way through the 1990 school year. For the first time in its short history the school had all of its solid buildings available and all of its levels. R- 10, in place.
An opening ceremony for the school occurred on May 17, 1991 with the Hon. Greg Crafler. Minister of Education officiating. During 1991 a reference group recommended to the Minister of Education that Hallett Cove School provide Years 11 and 12 education. The decision to add senior secondary education to the school was made in 1992.
The school had its third principal, Mr Jim Davies. appointed in 1993. Year 11 studies commenced in 1995 and Year 12 in 1996, making Hallett Cove School metropolitan Adelaide’s third R-12 school. A major building project occurred throughout 1995-1997 to cater for the addition of the senior secondary curriculum.
In 2016 the school received funding to upgrade the parts of the Junior School, along with the Science laboratories and other specialist suites across the school. Our buildings were opened by the Hon. David Speirs, Member for Black in 2019.
From 2019, our Middle School building, Languages and International Centre, Home Economics, Music, Arts and Gymnasium were all updated to include state-of-the-art facilities.
The Department for Education officially shifted Year 7 into High School in 2022 for the first time.
In 1988 the Principal Ms Susan Monks, in conjunction with the Governing Council, initiated a search for a school logo. The brief was to have a simple symbol which reflected some aspect of Hallett Cove and the school. After a number of weeks and a variety of ideas, the staff and parent bodies finally settled on our current design. The logo was designed by the then art teacher, Dave Smith.
The horizontal lines represent both the sea and the geological strata of the Hallett Cove Conservation Park and the sun as a symbolic reference to youthful aspirations as well as the visual beauty of our ocean view in the late afternoon.
The logo was updated and ‘digitized’ in 2009 by a member of the IT support staff, Scott Rowland, to meet the needs of the school’s on-line communications.