Penola Catholic College is a Co-educational Catholic Secondary College serving the needs of students in the north western suburbs of Melbourne . In 2007, the College has a total enrolment of 1620 students and a staff of 198 across teaching, administration, Educational Resource Centres, grounds, maintenance and general support areas.

The College draws the majority of its students from the Catholic feeder schools of Corpus Christi, Glenroy; Holy Child, Dallas; Our Lady's, Craigieburn; St Carlo Borromeo, Greenvale; St Dominic's, Broadmeadows; St Francis de Sales, Oak Park; St Thomas More's, Hadfield; St. Matthew's, North Fawkner; Good Samaritan, Roxburgh Park and School of the Good Shepherd, Gladstone Park.

The College was established in 1995 as a result of the amalgamation of three former Catholic Secondary Colleges. A consistent pattern of enrolments is now establishing itself and the demand for places has increased significantly since the year 2000 confirming that there is strong community support and interest in the College as its reputation continues to be enhanced. This growing demand, particularly for places at Year 7, has been noted by the Catholic Education Office and Penola Catholic College authorities.

The College is located on two campuses, in Glenroy (2 hectares) for Years 7 - 8 and Broadmeadows (11.5 hectares) for Years 9 - 12. The Broadmeadows Campus has very strong historical links to Blessed Mary MacKillop and the Sisters of St. Joseph who established a foundling home on the site in 1901. Consequently there are a number of buildings on this site which are of historical significance. The main College Administration area is located on the Broadmeadows Campus. The campuses are approximately 4 kilometres apart.

There has been significant ongoing refurbishment and construction of new buildings on both campuses over a number of years. This has improved the facilities and grounds for members of the College community so as to enhance the quality of teaching and learning.

The College is a member of the Association of Josephite Affiliated Secondary Schools (AJASS) and strongly promotes the Josephite charism honouring Blessed Mary MacKillop as its patron.

In recent years, the College has moved closer to achieving gender balance, particularly at the lower year levels. However, there are more males than females enrolled. Students attending the College come from a wide variety of multi-cultural backgrounds. A significant number of students come from families of non-English speaking backgrounds.

The College is conducted on formal lines with a well structured and developed curriculum and co-curricular program, effective discipline procedures and a strong emphasis on the nurturing of Gospel values and the importance of belonging to the College community.