Set across an expansive 138-acre precinct in Clyde North, CREST Education stands as one of Victoria’s most distinctive educational environments — home to Hillcrest Christian College and Rivercrest Christian College, as well as a unique equestrian centre and environmental reserve. At its heart, CREST embodies a simple yet profound mission: to cultivate students of Christian character, discovering their God-given gifts to serve the local and global community.
Hillcrest Christian College, established in 1981, has long been recognised as a leader in independent Christian education. With more than 1400 students from Early Learning to Year 12, Hillcrest embraces a comprehensive Victorian Curriculum program that blends academic rigour with broad co-curricular opportunities. Its campus, framed by natural landscapes and modern learning facilities, supports everything from STEM and media studies to performing arts, robotics, and equestrian programs. Students benefit from contemporary learning precincts, including a purpose-built Senior Learning Centre offering multiple pathways — VCE, vocational streams, and applied learning — preparing them for diverse futures.
Just across the precinct, Rivercrest Christian College offers a distinctly global lens. As an authorised International Baccalaureate Continuum World School, Rivercrest is one of only a few Victorian schools delivering the full IB suite — from the Primary Years Programme to the door-opening Diploma Programme. As the only purpose-designed IB school in Australia, the facilities encourage inquiry-based learning and global-mindedness, complemented by a language program that includes French, Chinese, and Spanish. Rivercrest has grown to more than 1100 students since 2014, cementing its identity as a dynamic, internationally focused school community driven by service.
CREST Education’s Senior Learning Centre is the central heart between Hillcrest Christian College. Here, all Years 11 and 12 students from Hillcrest and Rivercrest join together in this pre-tertiary environment. All students have the option of completing the VCE-CM, VCE or the IB Diploma, regardless of their original college.
What makes CREST Education truly remarkable is the shared commitment across both colleges to nurture the whole child — spiritually, academically, socially and emotionally. Despite their differing curricular pathways, Hillcrest and Rivercrest are united in mission and leadership, offering families two compelling expressions of Christian education within one connected ecosystem.
The precinct’s Ayr Hill Equestrian Centre and Environmental Reserve further elevate the educational offering. The equestrian centre provides specialist programs from Year 5 through VCE VET Equine, making CREST one of the few school environments in Australia where students can integrate equine studies into daily school life. Meanwhile, the 19-acre environmental reserve is home to waterways, bird hides, and more than 19,000 native trees, and offers immersive outdoor learning and rich opportunities in environmental science.
With more than 2500 students across its colleges, CREST Education is both large in scale and deeply personal in ethos. Its schools maintain strong community connections, welcoming families of all backgrounds into environments shaped by care, respect, and a commitment to excellence. Whether a student thrives in a traditional academic pathway or within the inquiry-driven IB model, CREST provides the flexibility, facilities, and guidance to help them flourish.
In an era of rapid change, CREST Education stands as a testament to what is possible when faith, vision, and innovation intersect. In Clyde North, two distinct colleges share a common mission: to prepare young people not only for successful futures, but for purposeful, impactful lives.