Oakville is named after the proliferation of she-oaks (casuarina) along the local watercourses.
Oakville Public School opened in March 1900 with 21 students; 12 boys and 9 girls. The school consisted of one room with verandahs and fireplace and served the educational needs of Oakville until the early 1960s. The first teacher was David Johnston, who taught there for almost 27 years from 1900 until late 1926, when he retired.
Around 1940 attendance at the school fell so much that the school was on the verge of closing. It somehow survived until the early 1960s when, with the spate of subdivisions, the population rose within a few years from about 40 to approximately 1,000. Electricity was not installed until 1948. Extensions to the school buildings were erected in the 1960s and refurbished in the early 1980s.
In the late 1990s a new administration block, hall, and 5 classrooms were constructed. They were completed in 1997. By this time the school population was over 300 students. In 2004 a modular classroom was added to the line of three demountables.
During 2010, a new library, two classrooms and a resource room were constructed. The old library was converted into two new classrooms. The work was completed in 2011 and left the school with only one demountable classroom. By 2012 the school population reached over 430 students - 17 classes.
View the list of Principals (PDF 55KB) Oakville PS had throughout history.