Bob Hawke College in Subiaco was hailed as the solution to overcrowding at high schools in Perth's western suburbs, but it is projected to instantly reach capacity by the time it becomes fully operational in 2025.

Key points: Bob Hawke College is being built on the old Subiaco Oval site

Bob Hawke College is being built on the old Subiaco Oval site It opens next year to Year 7s and is hoped to ease pressure on existing schools

It opens next year to Year 7s and is hoped to ease pressure on existing schools But a strong western suburbs infill push may necessitate another school in five years

And experts are warning the WA Government not to shoot itself in the foot by selling off a parcel of land which could solve the problem.

It has been more than two years since the Government ditched plans for a revived high school at City Beach and announced it would build the inner-city college, which will open to Year 7s in 2020.

But parents fear nothing will change unless there is a firm commitment to retaining the former City Beach High School site for a future school.

Bob Hawke College will open its doors to Year 7s in 2020. ( ABC News: Benjamin Gubana )

City Beach High School was closed by the former Gallop government in 2005. It followed the closure of Scarborough Senior High School and the amalgamation of Hollywood and Swanbourne high schools into Shenton College.

There are concerns the site, which sits in a prime location in the heart of Perth's western suburbs, may be sold to achieve density targets in the sparse suburban area.

The old City Beach High School site, in the foreground, sits on prime real estate. ( ABC News: Marcus Alborn )

The inner-city college, which was recently named Bob Hawke College (BHC), is due to open its doors to Year 7s in 2020.

And while enrolment numbers at Churchlands are set to gradually decline when BHC is opened, the school will still be catering for nearly 3,000 students.

Meanwhile the WA Government is pushing housing density targets on local councils, which some are concerned will put further pressure on the already struggling schools.

Parents want future certainty

Paul Clements and his wife bought in Doubleview so they could send their children to Churchlands, but are now reconsidering their options.

Paul Clements said he was weighing up his children's options. ( ABC News: Benjamin Gubana )

"You hear the stories about kids getting lost in the system, it being too big," he said.

"The school handles it very well, it's a very well-run school, but just with sheer numbers it's just too much for some of the kids to thrive and stand out."

Mr Clements said a number of other families who bought in the area were going through the same thought process.

Churchlands Senior High School has 20 demountable classrooms to cater for a growing number of students. ( ABC News: Benjamin Gubana )

"If you look at the figures for Bob Hawke College, where it's going to go when it hits capacity, it's not then taking those children away from Churchlands," he said.

"We've got huge infill targets in the western suburbs, so we're going to see increases in population.

"We've had quite a few friends [discuss] whether they want to end up in Churchlands or not, [and] considering their options as well.

"If we don't have a long-term plan, it's hard for us to plan our future as well."

Planning needs to start now: Opposition

A Department of Education spokeswoman said the opening of Bob Hawke College would ease enrolment pressure at Churchlands in the coming years, but she would not speculate on enrolments in 2025.

"While the department does undertake longer-term projections for planning purposes, it is recognised that uncertainty increases as the projection period increases," she said.

Parents are calling for the Government to plan beyond the opening of Bob Hawke College. ( Supplied: WA Government )

"For example, there will be fluctuations in modelling people's behaviour about school choice and developer timing and type of development.

"The department is therefore cautious about the release of this information which then becomes speculative."

Churchlands MP Sean L'Estrange said the Government needed to commit to retaining City Beach as a strategic educational site.

Churchlands MP Sean L'Estrange said planning needed to start now for the next high school. ( ABC News: Benjamin Gubana )

"The Government is building Bob Hawke College over there in Subiaco, and that's great, and when that's up and fully operational in 2025 there's expected to be 1,800 students," he said.

"So the Government still needs to look for where next, where's that fourth high school for the western suburbs going to go?

"Because by 2025 we anticipate Churchlands will have over 2,300 and Shenton College will have over 2,400 students. These are big numbers.

"There's a need for a fourth high school to start planning now so that from 2025 onwards we can satisfy the demand for the student population increases in the western suburbs."

Western suburbs high school enrolments School Enrolment 2019 2020* 2021* 2022* Churchlands SHS 2,879 2,882 2,873 2,812 Bob Hawke College 0 254–280 498–564 750–884 Mount Lawley SHS 1,798 1,864 1,909 1,903 Shenton College 2,235 2,269 2,299 2,333 * Projected enrolments (prepared in 2018)

Government shouldn't shoot itself in the foot: expert

Educational policy expert Glenn Savage from the University of Western Australia said it would be irresponsible for any commitment to be made at this stage.

"I think a lot of water needs to go under the bridge until we know whether a second school is needed in addition to Bob Hawke College," he said.

"I think there's an interesting question around whether or not Bob Hawke College can be expected to fix the problem.

"I think if we do find that Bob Hawke College does reach capacity fairly soon then it may be telling us that we did need Bob Hawke College, but we may also need another college as well."

The construction of Bob Hawke College in Subiaco is well underway. ( ABC News: Benjamin Gubana )

Dr Savage said the Government could not afford to be short-sighted.

"If in the future they need another school, and if it turns out that school would be ideally placed in the City Beach area, then they would really shoot themselves in the foot if they had sold that land off," he said.

"It's really difficult to acquire new land to build schools — it's a Government asset that should be held onto if there's any chance that it's needed."

Minister non-committal on site's future

Education Minister Sue Ellery was not available for an interview, but in a statement said a decision on the future of the City Beach site had not yet been made.

Education Minister Sue Ellery said Bob Hawke College would cater for 2,000 students by 2025. ( ABC News: Jacob Kagi )

"Bob Hawke College is being built to offer a new inner city secondary school and to provide enrolment relief for western suburbs schools including Churchlands Senior High School," she said.

"The previous Liberal government had the same solution to overcrowding at western suburbs schools, they just had a different site for a new school.

"Bob Hawke College will be a world-class school and by 2025 will have a capacity of up to 2,000 students."