About 900 year 12 students from the city's 11 high schools farwelled 13 years of formal schooling with celebrations including dress up days, formal assemblies, lunches, dinners, water fights, jumping castles and more.

For more than 115 Ballarat Clarendon College senior students the final day was all about fun and food, with the teens dressing up in costumes reflecting the first initial of their name.

"They've been a great cohort, they've worked really hard and they are ready," a school spokeswoman said.

"This week is an important one to appropriately end their time at school, acknowledge everything they have done and ensure they are ready for next week."

An ice cream van, pie van and jumping castle made for a festive final lunchtime at school as the students relaxed in the sun and celebrated a classmate's 18^th birthday.

But it's not the only event to mark their farewell - it's one of a string that started with a final assembly on Tuesday, a formal presentation night on Wednesday, a final breakfast with teachers on Thursday which will lead in to a valedictory assembly with their families at the Regent Theatre, a lunch and dinner.

Mount Clear College students ended their school years on Tuesday with a carnival-style celebration at the neighbouring Earth Ed centre before a final assembly with parents.

YOU MIGHT LIKE: Photographers Andrew Thomas and Neil Sinclair can always find something different at Lake Wendouree

At Ballarat Christian College, where year 12 students finished on Wednesday, the class of 2019 were walked in to their final assembly by the prep students who, on their first day of class in February, were taken on a tour of the school by the year 12 students.

Before the graduation assembly the year 12 students presented the year 11 class with gift packages for their final year of school.

The VCE exam period begins next Wednesday with English, and continues for more than three weeks with 82 separate exams.

Have you signed up to The Courier's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.