The school was founded in 1982 by St Philip'sAnglican Church Waratah, with the aim of 'whole child' education – to assist the intellectual, social, physical and spiritual skills of students. The school's motto is "The Way, The Truth, and The Life". As of 2012, St Philip's Christian College Newcastle had over 2900 students enrolled from Year K to Year 12. St Philip's has a 500-seat theatre on site and purchased the old St Philip's Anglican church site. This site has been refurbished to be the Centre of Sports Education. St Philip's Christian College Port Stephens, established in 1995, has an enrolment of over 700 students from Kindergarten to Year Twelve. In 1997, an alternative school for students at risk named D.A.L.E. was established. In October 1997 the College acquired Narnia Preschool. Narnia is a one unit preschool for children from three years old to school age. Recent developments have will see a newly expanded facility at 55 High Street Waratah that will cater for babies to school age children. A Narnia Preschool is also located at the Gosford campus. In 2001, the Waratah campus was restructured into a Junior School, Middle School and Senior School. In 2005, the college acquired Cessnock Christian School which was renamed to St. Philip's Christian College – Cessnock Campus. The Cessnock school now has over 1000 students and is situated on a 100-acre site at Nulkaba near the vineyards. In 2007 Gosford Christian College in the Central Coast suburb of Narara was acquired. Renamed St Philip's Christian College Gosford, it has 530 students ranging from Kindergarten to Year 12. St Philip's Christian College has international links with schools in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia. It has an International Student Program which operates out of the Foundation Office. Across all campuses students can access a range of academic, leadership, sporting and community opportunities. St Philip's Christian College students regularly participate in competitions such as The Da Vinci Decathlon and the NSW Combined Independent SchoolSports events. Students also participate in community service projects. Students have annual year based camps which generally focus on outdoor education and team building exercises. Graduating Year 12 students can participate in an 'alternative schoolies week' in Vanuatu. Community events such as Spring Fairs occur in September at the Cessnock and Gosford campuses.