Maitland High School is situated in East Maitland

Maitland, New South Wales

Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...

, New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 on High Street. Established in 1884 and operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training

New South Wales Department of Education and Training

The New South Wales Department of Education and Communities, a department of the Government of New South Wales, is responsibile for primary schools, secondary schools and Technical and Further Education colleges...

, the school currently caters for approximately 800 students from Years 7 to 12, and is situated near its sister school

Sister school

The term sister school has several meanings:*a definite financial commerce between two colleges or universities*two schools that have a strong historical connection...

, Maitland Grossmann High School

Maitland Grossmann High School

Maitland Grossmann High School is situated in East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia on Cumberland St, adjacent to the old Maitland Gaol. The school was originally Maitland Girls High School, but collaborated with Maitland Boys High, and now both schools are co-educational...

.

The school offers a number of vocational education

Vocational education

Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...

 courses in years 10 to 12 relating to various industries, such as hospitality, retail and community services. In 2009, the efforts of the school were recognised by the Department of Education & Training a school achievement award citing the "consistent excellence in Vocational educational program delivery and quality Higher School Certificate educational outcomes".

The school has adopted the colours of black and white, two of the northern region's three representative colours (black, white, red), and its mascot of a magpie, a popular and prolific bird of the area.

The Maitland High Old Boys and Ex-students Union regularly assists the school with donations and scholarships for students.
The Public Instruction Act 1880 (New South Wales) began a period described as the "great reforms".