Woodleigh School was founded in 1856 as St Paul's School,[1] and operated out of a hall on the grounds of St. Paul's Anglican Church in Frankston.[1] It was the first school in Frankston,[1] as well as one of the earliest in the then colony of Victoria,[1] and is the oldest co-educational school in the state of Victoria.[1][4]
In 1970, the school moved to a 3.5 ha property off Seaview Road in Frankston South (now Minimbah Court) which it named "Minimbah" – the Bunurongaboriginal word for "place of learning".[1] In 1975, it purchased the former 12.5 ha farm "Woodleigh" on Golf Links Road in Langwarrin South.[1] During this time, the Minimbah site became the junior campus and the Woodleigh site became the senior campus of the school.[1]
After acquiring further land at its Woodleigh site, creating a 22 ha campus, the school changed its name to Woodleigh School in 1999.[1]