Scotch College is an independent, Uniting Church, co-educational, day and boarding school, located on two adjacent campuses in Torrens Park and Mitcham, inner-southern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia.

Founded in 1919 out of the earlier Kyre College (1902–1918), and incorporated under an Act of Parliament in 1922, Scotch currently caters for approximately 1000 students including more than 100 boarders in Years 7 to 12.

[16] The school grew quickly and prospered until about 1913, after which enrolments declined as a result of an agricultural downturn and eventually World War I.

An enduring legend associated with the College is that it was founded in the memory of the "Sons of Scotland who fought and died in The Great War of 1914–1918".

[20] The first headmaster was Norman Gratton, previously a Presbyterian Church elder, and the College officially incorporated under an Act of Parliament in 1922.

The fundamental principle of the College is that no religious instruction shall be imparted thereat which shall in any way contravene the doctrines of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.

The founding Chairman was Henry Darnley Naylor, an English born, Cambridge-educated classics scholar, described by the Australian Dictionary of Biography as "an uncommonly stimulating teacher... [who] left a lifelong mark on his students, morally and socially as well as intellectually.

[12] The new location allowed Scotch to become the first school in South Australia to have a fully operational farm on campus for the purposes of agricultural education.

[22] During World War II, the property was used by the United States Army and then the Royal Australian Air Force as No.

4 Embarkation Depot (4 ED),[citation needed] and the school was forced to move to Birralee, Belair and Brierly Lodge from May 1942 to February 1944.

"Gratton House", now the Middle School, was built as a memorial to 57 Old Collegians who were killed in World War II.

His rather bland desire for his school was that it should balance the development of individuality with the inculcation of attitudes and skills useful to the community, the nation and the world.

The college further expanded its outdoor and environmental education with the acquisition of its Kyre Campus on Kangaroo Island in 2004,[22] which was included in the curriculum until 2019.

She pushed Scotch to change the uniforms, language and facilities to make the environment more welcoming for girls and female staff, as well as advocating for a shift from a 'blokey' sports-oriented culture to one that valued academic excellence as well.

[39] Scotch College is situated on two neighbouring campuses, covering over 20 hectares in the Torrens Park area of Mitcham, about 8 kilometres south of Adelaide, in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges.

The original Kallawar house at the corner of Albert Street and Muggs Hill Road was built in 1849[46][50] and consisted of 18 rooms.

[12] The school operates a six-acre (2.5 hectare) farm on the Torrens Park campus for the purpose of agricultural education.

[53] Established in 1923 on the property's former stables and horse paddock, the farm was originally focused on an orangery, vineyard, and banana grove.

There is also an aquaculture program focused on freshwater species: Murray Cod, Silver Perch, Baramundi, Rainbow Trout, and Marron.

Former middle school houses, phased out in 2007–08, were Buchanan, Forbes, Hamilton, Kennedy, Lamont, Macleod, Napier, and Ross.

[54] The following people have led Scotch College since its founding:[12] The title "Headmaster" was replaced with "Principal", beginning with Kenneth Webb in 1992.