We acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and that James Ruse Agricultural High School is built on the land of the Burramattagal of the Darug Nation who are the Traditional Custodians of this land.
On behalf of the students, staff, parents, and ex-students, it gives us great pleasure to welcome you to the website of James Ruse Agricultural High School. We appreciate you taking the time to find out what our School is all about.
James Ruse Agricultural High School is one of 4 agricultural high schools in NSW established in 1959 as a boys’ high school offering the opportunity for metropolitan students to study practical and theoretical agriculture as part of their secondary school studies. The school became co-educational in 1977 and is the one agricultural high school that operates for day students only. When our students leave, the subject of Agriculture remains the highlight of their high school experience.
Our School was named in honour of James Ruse (1759–1837), an early settler, being the first to successfully grow a commercial crop of wheat in the new colony in Parramatta (1790c). Governor Arthur Phillip granted him title to the land he was farming, making James Ruse the first emancipist (freed convict) to receive title to land in New South Wales. His success in agriculture during the early years of the colony set the pattern for Australia's reputation as a farming nation.
Situated on 10 hectares of land, half is dedicated to the working farm with farming enterprises including livestock such as Angus cattle, sheep, and hens.
The school's Administration building, Bishop Block and land, known as Barrengarry, were originally part of the Felton Estate and date back to 1885. The Felton family was a pioneering family of the district and in the 1950s the Department of Education and Training bought the site to form the fully functional agricultural high school it is today.
For more detailed information about the history of the school, please visit James Ruse Pioneers.