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Aoraki Mount Cook School, Mt Cook

Full Primary · Years 1–8 · Co-Educational · Mt Cook

A state-funded rural primary school established in 1960, located within Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. It serves students from Year 1 to Year 8, with a roll that typically ranges from 6 to 18 students.

Last checked 18 September 2026 · Roll data from August 2026

At a glance

TypeFull Primary · Years 1–8
LocationMt Cook
RegionCanterbury Region
School number3442
5
Students
as at August 2026
411
Equity Index
No
Enrolment scheme
Open
School status

Key facts

  • School number3442
  • School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
  • AuthorityState
  • GenderCo-Educational
  • BoardingNo
  • Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
  • Established17 November 1858
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About Aoraki Mount Cook School

Aoraki Mount Cook School is a New Zealand school whose vision is expressed in the phrase Te tihi o Aoraki — aspire to the heights of Aoraki, drawing on the name and significance of Aoraki Mount Cook. The school's motto is taken from a quote attributed to Sir Edmund Hillary: "It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."

The school organises its character around three core values, each expressed in both English and te reo Māori:

  • Responsibility (tokohanga) — for self, others, and the environment
  • Respect (whakaute) — for self, others, and the environment
  • Relationships (whanaungatanga) — with self, others, and the environment

The school describes itself as closely connected to its local community, with strategic goals shaped through community consultation including events and surveys.

Enrolment

No enrolment scheme listed

No enrolment scheme is currently listed for Aoraki Mount Cook School in the available Ministry of Education data. Check the current Ministry of Education information or contact the school for the latest enrolment arrangements.

School donations

The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations may be requested".

With an Equity Index of 411, Aoraki Mount Cook School is below the 432 threshold newly required to opt into the donations scheme, though a school already receiving this funding from an earlier year may continue to do so. Outside the scheme, a school can still ask families for donations, but cannot compel or enforce payment.

Check directly with the school for current charges, contributions or other costs. Learn more on the donations scheme or fees and charges at school, both on education.govt.nz.

Equity Index

The Ministry publishes this figure as a bare number — KuraData shows it against the directory-wide average, so you can see where Aoraki Mount Cook School actually sits, not just the number on its own.

OFFICIAL DATA
411
Scale: 344–569
Band: Few (2026)
WHAT IT MEANS

The Equity Index estimates the socio-economic barriers students face, on average, and is used to inform government funding and support. It is not a measure of school quality or academic performance.

Higher values indicate a higher level of estimated socio-economic barriers; lower values indicate fewer. Learn how the Equity Index is calculated →

EQI scale (344–569)
Directory avg 444
Aoraki Mount Cook School 411

Student ethnicity

The Ministry publishes this as a raw table — here it's visualised directly against Aoraki Mount Cook School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.

  • European — 3 students (60%)
  • Asian — 1 students (20%)
  • Pacific — 1 students (20%)

Percentages may sum to more than 100% because students can identify with more than one ethnic group.

Location

View larger map on OpenStreetMap
  • Street address5 Sebastopol Drive, Aoraki
  • CityMt Cook
  • Local authorityMackenzie District

Official contact details

Nearby schools

Schools physically closest to Aoraki Mount Cook School, regardless of year level.

Explore schools in Mt Cook

Browse Mt Cook schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.

Full Primary schools (1) All schools in Mt Cook →

Curriculum and Subjects

Teaching and learning at Aoraki Mount Cook School follows the Aotearoa New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). Te Reo Māori is integrated across all curriculum areas, and the Languages learning area focuses specifically on Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL).

The school covers the following learning areas:

  • Arts (dance, drama, music, and visual arts)
  • English
  • Health and Physical Education
  • Languages
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Science
  • Social Science
  • Technology

At Years 7 and 8, Technology includes work with hard materials (wood, metal, and plastics), soft materials (fabrics and textiles), and food technology.

Frequently asked

These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Aoraki Mount Cook School's own official Ministry of Education data already shown on this page, so what you read here always matches the figures above.

Aoraki Mount Cook School is classified as a Full Primary school serving Years 1–8.

It's a state school in the Canterbury region. New Zealand domestic students are generally entitled to free enrolment and education at state schools.

Yes. It's a co-educational school, enrolling both boys and girls.

No enrolment scheme is currently listed for Aoraki Mount Cook School in the available Ministry of Education data. Check the current Ministry of Education information or contact the school for the latest enrolment arrangements.

5 students, according to the August 2026 roll data.

It reflects the estimated socio-economic barriers Aoraki Mount Cook School's students face, on average. The Ministry uses the Equity Index to help target funding and support. It is not a measure of school quality or academic performance.

Sources & methodology

Every fact on this page traces back to one of the rows below — official Ministry of Education data, or Aoraki Mount Cook School's own published information, reviewed before publication. Nothing here is inferred or estimated beyond what its source actually states.

DataSourceData periodLast checked
School characteristics Ministry of Education — 7 September 2026
Student roll Ministry of Education / Education Counts August 2026 7 September 2026
Equity Index Education Counts — 7 September 2026
Address & coordinates Ministry of Education — 7 September 2026
Contact details NZ Schools Directory Current 7 September 2026
School information (AI-curated, human-reviewed) Aoraki Mount Cook School's official website Current 18 September 2026