Located in the Inner Gippsland Area of DET’s South-East Victoria Region, Bass Coast College is a Year 7-12 multi-campus school of around 1600 students. The Dudley Campus (Years 7 to 9) and the Wonthaggi Campus (Years 10 to 12) are situated three kilometres apart. A second junior campus (Years 7 to 9) has opened San Remo, and our FLOW Campus in Wonthaggi provides individualised learning programs for students requiring specialised support.

Located in the rapidly growing Bass Coast Shire, the College is very proud to be the government secondary education provider for the area. It draws its students from nine feeder schools located in the Bass Coast Shire.  The College’s zone encompasses a large rural and coastal area centred around Wonthaggi, Inverloch, Grantville/Corinella, Coronet Bay and Phillip Island.  Over half of the student population travel to the school by bus. 

The current staffing levels comprise approximately 140 teachers and 60 non-teaching staff.

Bass Coast College recognises that students have different needs, abilities, interests, and ambitions and that its students are drawn from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds.  These differences are catered for through the development of a comprehensive curriculum that extends and challenges students to realize their full potential.  Sequential courses of study are provided for Years 7 to 10 in each of the Key Learning Areas. This is achieved using core units at Years 7 and 8, and a mixture of core and elective subjects at Years 9 and 10. With a large Year 11 and Year 12 student population, the College is able to offer a broad range of Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) units and has a strong commitment to Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs.  A successful VCE Vocational Major (VCE VM) program operates.

Our FLOW campus (Flexible Learning Options Wonthaggi) provides specialist programs for many ‘at risk’ students. This includes an Outreach Program that supports approximately 15 students each year who have extreme mental health conditions that place them “at risk” of non-participation. We also work with the two Wonthaggi primary schools to supply an intervention/transition program for chronically absent students in Years 5 to 10 (FLO Wonthaggi). In 2019 we introduced a Pre-CAL program to accommodate a number of ‘at-risk’ students in Years 9 and 10. Mental Health support and Individual Education Plans are central to all work at this campus.

The College continues to develop its enrichment and consolidation programs. Students in Years 10 and 11 have the opportunity to accelerate through the VCE by taking higher-level units than is the norm for their age cohort.  A very successful select entry (SEAL) program operates on the Dudley and San Remo Campuses. 

College staff conduct a range of quality curriculum and co-curricular programs across all campuses.  The College has a tradition of student participation and success in the Performing Arts.  The College is the coordinating school for the South Gippsland Schools Music Program and currently has around 100 students involved in the program.  Bass Coast College regularly enjoys sporting success at local, state, and national levels.  An ADVANCE program (based on surf lifesaving) also operates in the College. 

The College is committed to the welfare of its students.  To this end, a Student Wellbeing Coordinator is attached to each campus, along with Careers counselling.  The staff are dedicated professional educators who place importance on quality teaching and professional development.  The College provides a caring, supportive environment whilst also encouraging teamwork, leadership, and a sense of belonging.  Students are encouraged to develop leadership skills through the Peer Support Program, the Student Representative Council and as elected student leaders.

Extensive recreational, sporting, and educational facilities are available.  These include gymnasiums, libraries, canteens, computer centres, theatrette/drama rooms, courts and oval or playing fields at each campus.  The College also enjoys access to extensive community recreational facilities, local beaches, and coastal reserves.

The extensive grounds and buildings are well maintained and attractive.  The College continues to focus on upgrading facilities and grounds, having made extensive upgrades across all sites.

In 2020, the College, transferred its Years 10, 11 and 12 programs to its new Senior Campus in McKenzie Street (Wonthaggi).  This project also included an extended three-court highball facility with extensive community facilities. The community facility is coordinated with our key partner, the Bass Coast Shire.

In 2022, the Minister for Education officially opened an additional junior Campus for our College in San Remo.  This exciting development coincided with extensive work from the staff who have overhauled curriculum offerings to support the significant organisational change across the College. A name change process was undertaken in the lead up to 2022, and the former Wonthaggi Secondary College is now renamed Bass Coast College, representing its expansion across the area, and the wider area where the young people it supports reside with their families.