Burdekin Catholic High School is a Catholic, co-educational secondary school operating within the authority of the diocesan Catholic Education Office. BCHS is located in Ayr and draws students from within the Burdekin Shire. The school began in 1953 originally staffed by Marist Brothers. Within the Marist and Catholic traditions, in the example of Mary, we seek to bring Christ-life to birth, in ordinary ways and in all circumstances of life. Our approach is to nurture, to teach, to gather, to reconcile, and to stand with young people, so as to give each and all of them reason and means to believe, to hope and to love. In harmony with this outlook, we encourage respect for all God's creation, community, inclusiveness, commitment to anti-bullying and anti-harassment, forgiveness, reverence, joy. Our current educational emphasis is the introduction of the Australian curriculum, the integration of ICT into all areas of education, ensuring literacy and numeracy standards are achieved for all students and meeting their personal development needs. In past years, the majority of our school leavers proceed to University Studies, principally at JCU. Those students who leave school prior to completing Year 12 almost universally do so to take up local apprenticeships. Our school exists within a highly cultural local community. Our efforts at school reflect this - with an emphasis on the performing arts. Over 50% of our students participate each year in the Burdekin Eisteddfod. Our School Choir enjoys outstanding success each year. We participate in the annual Burdekin Drama Festival and biennially we produce a school musical. Our students participate in a core physical education program to the end of Year 10, and also participate in a range of inter-school and intra-school sports.