St James’ is a Catholic primary school in Sebastopol. In response to the growing number of newly arrived families mainly of Dutch and Polish origin, St James’ School was built, blessed and opened in 1956, staffed by Sisters of Mercy, Ballarat East.
The school today is committed to the teachings of Jesus and the values of the gospel including excellence (Better Me), service (Better You), and relationships (Better Us). The Sisters of Mercy, whose core values of care, compassion and understanding still permeate the school’s ethos.
The Parish of St James’ Sebastopol was established in 1963. With much generosity and hard work, the land was bought and the Church completed, blessed and opened in 1968.