Bridging Scientists and Students with Regional School Partnerships

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics (CDM) has established a Partner School Program aimed at fostering long-term collaborations with traditionally underserved regional and rural schools across Australia. Now in its fourth year, the program has grown to include seven schools across two states. This paper outlines the motivation, strategic vision, and institutional support behind the program’s development; its structure and alignment with CDM’s research themes; and the design of scaffolded, curriculum-aligned lessons covering gravity, galaxies, the nature of science, and particle models. The paper also presents findings from the ongoing evaluation of the program’s impact, conducted in partnership with the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Education. In addition, the paper highlights broader national efforts in particle physics outreach, including Australia's involvement in the International Particle Physics Outreach Group (IPPOG) and other related initiatives supported by CDM.