St John's Schoolhouse was Canberra's first school and school master's residence. It opened in 1845 to provide elementary education for children from the Campbell estate of Duntroon and surrounding farms. Many family names of former pupils can be seen on gravestones in St John's Churchyard.
In 1907, the School was closed, but in 1969 the restored Schoolhouse building was reopened as a museum of Canberra's early history and education. St John's Schoolhouse Museum is proud of its role in the community as one of Canberra's first museums.
Displays feature early education artefacts and photographs of the district. These enable visitors to imagine the very different scene of rural Canberra, before it became the Federal Capital.
The Schoolhouse is very much a part of the historic St John's Church precinct, which in 2025 celebrated 180 years of serving the local community. A visit to the Schoolhouse should ideally take in the associated historic Church and Churchyard.
Schools and other groups are most welcome to visit the Museum throughout the year, for a reasonable charge per head. A modest fee is charged for adult visitors to the Museum. (EPTPOS available).
Note, though, that the Museum is closed for a few weeks over the summer school holidays.
