Key facts
- School number3932
- School typeContributing · Years 1–6
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established1 January 1886
About Balfour School
Balfour School is a small, state primary school located in Northern Southland, New Zealand, catering for students from Year 0 to Year 6 across three classes. Class sizes are small and supported by Teacher Aides.
The school draws on its rural setting as part of its educational approach, incorporating the surrounding landscape — including native bush, lakes, mountains, and farmland — into learning programmes. Students participate in outdoor activities such as tramping, skiing, fishing, and boating, and the school maintains a caretaking role for the Glenure Reserve in the Hokonui Hills. The school grounds include a swimming pool, an orchard, a vegetable garden, and a propagation shed.
The school's four core values are expressed in te reo Māori:
- Manaakitanga — care, kindness, and respect for others
- Ngākaupai — a positive mindset toward learning and life
- Pononga — honesty and integrity
- Tino Rangatiratanga — taking responsibility for one's actions and learning
The school's principal is Andrea Holt.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
With an Equity Index of 421, Balfour 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 Balfour School actually sits, not just the number on its own.
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 →
Student ethnicity
The Ministry publishes this as a raw table — here it's visualised directly against Balfour School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 49 students (69%)
- Asian — 12 students (16.9%)
- Pacific — 4 students (5.6%)
- Māori — 11 students (15.5%)
- Other — 1 students (1.4%)
Percentages may sum to more than 100% because students can identify with more than one ethnic group.
Education pathway
Nearby schools serving the next or previous year levels are shown as potential pathway options. They do not indicate formal enrolment pathways or actual student transfers.
-
Northern Southland College Secondary · Years 7–15 · 15.3 km
Location
- Street address131 Queen Street
- CityBalfour
- Local authoritySouthland District
Official contact details
- ContactAndrea Holt
- Phone+64 3 201 6042
- Emailoffice@balfour.school.nz
- Websitewww.balfour.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Balfour School, regardless of year level.
-
Riversdale School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 13.5 km
-
Northern Southland College Secondary · Years 7–15 · 15.3 km
-
Lumsden School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 15.5 km
-
Central Southland College Secondary · Years 9–15 · 38.6 km
-
St Peter's College (Gore) Secondary · Years 7–15 · 39.4 km
Explore schools in Balfour
Browse Balfour schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Enrolment
Balfour School operates an open enrolment policy with no stated zone restrictions. Families wishing to enrol contact the School Office to obtain and complete the required forms, which may be taken home and returned.
Required documents at enrolment are:
- A completed enrolment form
- A copy of the child's Immunisation Certificate
- A copy of the child's Birth Certificate (required for five-year-old enrolments)
Enrolment enquiries can be directed to Maree Black or Rachael Collins (Office Administrators), or to Principal Andrea Holt, who offers school tours for prospective families.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Balfour School's own official Ministry of Education data already shown on this page, so what you read here always matches the figures above.
Sources & methodology
Every fact on this page traces back to one of the rows below — official Ministry of Education data, or Balfour School's own published information, reviewed before publication. Nothing here is inferred or estimated beyond what its source actually states.
| Data | Source | Data period | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| School characteristics | Ministry of Education | — | 15 October 2026 |
| Student roll | Ministry of Education / Education Counts | September 2026 | 15 October 2026 |
| Equity Index | Education Counts | — | 15 October 2026 |
| Address & coordinates | Ministry of Education | — | 15 October 2026 |
| Contact details | NZ Schools Directory | Current | 15 October 2026 |
| School information (AI-curated, human-reviewed) | Balfour School's official website | Current | 16 October 2026 |