It is a co-educational high school operated by the New South Wales Department of Education with students from years 7 to 12.

It is named after Pittwater, the body of water extending south from Broken Bay parallel to the coast.

[3] The school also has a strong musical tradition, with internationally renowned jazz musician James Morrison and his brother John Morrison both students at the school in the 1970s, along with the children of Australian rock singer Johnny O'Keefe and Keith Potger of the Seekers.

[4] In August 1986, the school's Binishell Dome collapsed after a PDHPE lesson due to errors in the curing process.

[5] This caused a decline in popularity of Binishells across NSW public schools.