NSW public school students are embracing the Christmas spirit by helping bring some festive cheer to families across the State.

In Wagga Wagga, the school leadership team at Kooringal High School targeted teenagers for their toy drive, while Cessnock East Public School's stage one students were inspired by a history project to support the Salvation Army’s hamper drive.

Kooringal High School vice-captain Chloe Hinds said the SRC had decided rather than raise money for the school, it had wanted to “give back to the community because it’s been such a hard year”.

“A lot of other toy drives are focused on little kids, but just because you reach a certain age doesn’t mean you still don’t enjoy getting presents at Christmas,” Chloe said.

“We thought of the PCYC (Police & Community Youth Club) and decided to work with them.”

The school had been collecting presents for just two weeks and Chloe said they were overwhelmed by the response from students, teachers, parents and community businesses.

At Cessnock East Public, stage one students called on their community to donate toys and other items to the Salvation Army to include in its Christmas hampers.

Classroom teacher Sharni Wynands said the initiative came about when the students were learning about "what the world needs now" as part of their history project.

"In this project we have been learning about celebrations and traditions and how they have changed over time. As part of their project they came up with an initiative to donate back to the community to make Christmas brighter for those in need," she said.