Students at Eatons Hill State School could feel the squeeze this year with the primary school close to capacity.

Twelve years after opening its doors to around 350 students, Eatons Hill is the first state primary school on Brisbane’s north side to hit the 1000 student mark.

It is also just the fourth school in the Moreton Bay region, after Burpengary, Tullawong and Morayfield East State Schools, to have a four-figure student enrolment.

As of last Friday, 1038 students had been enrolled at Eatons Hill for the new academic year, which started yesterday.

According to the Education Queensland website, last year the school had the capacity to enrol up to 1027 students in 44 classrooms.

An Education Queensland spokesman said the student caps, based on the previous year’s enrolment, were “generic figures” that gauged “kids per square metre” compared to recommended class sizes.

Eatons Hill State School Principal Clyde Campbell said with one additional classroom, the school could accommodate 1050 children this year.

Mr Campbell said the school would boast seven Prep classes and 35 classes for years one to seven, including the school’s largest senior grade cohort of 136 children.

He added the school had turned away around 35 families and their children because of the school now being at capacity “and their residential addresses not falling within the enrolment catchment area defined for the school”.

The nearest Government-run alternatives to the school, whose catchment area includes Eatons Hill and neighbouring suburbs Warner, Brendale and Clear Mountain, are Albany Creek and Albany Hills State Schools.

Mr Campbell said the two Albany Creek schools, which both have student populations exceeding 800, needed to be upgraded to match the region’s increasing population.

“I do not necessarily subscribe to the building of another primary school within our catchment area,” he said.

“Instead, I would advocate for additional facilities and infrastructure to upgrade existing schools in the immediate vicinity, including Albany Creek, Albany Hills, Strathpine, Lawnton, Mt Samson and Bray Park.

“I would also advocate for improving the qualities of our school and neighbouring state schools to be on a comparable footing and equally competitive for enrolment share with neighbouring non-state schools.”

Mr Campbell said his school was constrained by having insufficient staffroom facilities, outdoor covered area facilities, library space and play areas. He added students would benefit from a hall, swimming pool and bigger playing fields.

He said while the school was “still establishing its identity and developing its potential”, he felt “privileged and fortunate to be leading such a successful school”, which he has overseen since 2003.

“I feel immense pride and a real sense of achievement at realising our vision to be a publicly acclaimed good school with great outcomes – a school where the local community has great confidence in State education,” Mr Campbell said.

Education Department forecasts show around 729,000 students are expected to enrol in State, Catholic and independent schools around Queensland in 2010.