The Smithfield area was settled soon after the First Fleet arrived. In 1841, John Ryan Brenan planned an ambitious market town at Smithfield.
The streets, e.g. Market, Dublin, Gipps and Victoria, were planned. The markets and the town continued to flourish until 1845 when Fairfield became the commercial and business centre for the area because of the railway. Dairy farms, market gardens, orchards, timber mills and tanneries were developed - providing employment for the local people of Smithfield.
The school was opened in 1850 as a National School. The original school was made of sandstone bricks, had a wide verandah and the roof was made of ironbark shingles. Parents paid a fee ranging from one penny a week to one shilling a week. The first teacher was a Mr R. Timms, who was paid about forty pounds a year. The school opened six days a week and had an initial enrolment of sixty students. In 1880, the school came under the control of the Department of Education.
In 1890 a brick building containing three classrooms was built, (Block H). Timber buildings were added in the 1950's (Blocks F, G, I & M). In the 1960's the school community grew quickly as chicken farms and market gardens gave way to new housing developments and five brick classroom blocks were added, (Blocks A, B, C, D & K). In the 1970's the school library (Block N), the administration building (Block E), the hall and canteen (Block L), and the pre-school (Blocks R & S) were added. At this time the school population had reached over a thousand. In the late 1980's alterations were made to Block K to allow for the introduction of an Early Intervention Program for students aged 3-5 years with mild levels of disability. This is a sessional program. Classes for students with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities were also introduced in the 1980's. In 1992 a class for gifted and talented students in the area was added to the broad range of programs in the school.
During late 2009 the weatherboard buildings (Blocks F, G and I) were demolished to make way for two brand new classroom blocks (Blocks W and X). With this range of facilities and programs Smithfield Public School can provide for the wide spectrum of ability and potential of its 530 students.
In 2020, a ramp was installed in one of the demountable classrooms to accommodate for students with accessibility needs.
In 2022, construction began for an accessible toilet in the middle and upper primary areas (Block A).
Smithfield Public School has a long, proud and exciting history of responding to the needs of its community which is a delightful blend of students from families with a long association with the community and school, families new to the suburb and a growing number of families new to Australia.
The suburb of Smithfield has become an important part of a large industrial and commercial corridor and is central to major arterial roads in southwestern Sydney. It is exciting to record that during the nearly one hundred and sixty years that the education of children has occurred on this site there has been continuous development and refinement of the site, buildings, programs, resources, strategies and procedures to meet the needs of the student community. This has happened because of the professionalism, care and support of the parents, teachers and ancillary staff.