The school was named for a point at the western shore of Lake Illawarra, said to mean "burial place of Hooka". Hooka was an Aboriginal chief living in the Berkeley area around the time of European settlement.[3]
The school first opened on 29 January 1974 under principal R.C.H. (Bob) Everitt, with 400 students in years 7 and 8. Due to bad weather and material shortages, demountables at Dapto High School were used until the school was completed. On 18 October 1974 they moved to the new site at Robert and Joan Streets. The school first offered NSW Higher School Certificate (HSC) subjects in 1978. The school's population peaked at 1,164 students in 1983. With changes to demographics and other schools opening in the area, the school population fell to a relatively stable 650 in the late 1990s.
Academic achievements
In 2017 Kanahooka High School ranked number 573 in the HSC with 212 exams sat by 39 students, a success rate of 0.47 percent and one high score.[4][5]