Key facts
- School number371
- School typeSecondary · Years 7–15
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established1 February 1969
About East Otago High School
East Otago High School is a secondary school located in Palmerston, a town in the East Otago region that provides access to Central Otago, Oamaru, and Dunedin.
The school operates as a state school serving its local community, with an emphasis on relationships between students, staff, families, and the wider East Otago community. It is not a faith-based or Māori-medium school.
The school uses a School-Wide Positive Behaviour for Learning (SWPB4L) framework, through which teachers issue cards to students who demonstrate respect, responsibility, or motivation. These cards are entered into a weekly draw held at school assemblies.
The school's child protection designated person is the principal, and the school uses the Keeping Ourselves Safe programme as part of its student wellbeing approach.
Enrolment
No enrolment scheme listedNo enrolment scheme is currently listed for East Otago High 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 should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
With an Equity Index of 488, East Otago High School is in the range eligible to opt into the Ministry's donations scheme — receiving additional government funding per student in exchange for not seeking donations (except for overnight camps).
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 East Otago High 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 East Otago High School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 154 students (78.6%)
- Asian — 6 students (3.1%)
- Pacific — 15 students (7.7%)
- Māori — 61 students (31.1%)
- MELAA — 6 students (3.1%)
- Other — 2 students (1%)
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.
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Waikouaiti School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 13.6 km
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Hampden School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 18.6 km
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Karitane School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 19.1 km
Location
- Street addressStour Street
- CityPalmerston
- Local authorityWaitaki District
Official contact details
- ContactHelen Newcombe
- Phone+64 3 465 1513
- Emailoffice@eohs.school.nz
- Websitewww.eohs.school.nz/
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to East Otago High School, regardless of year level.
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Waikouaiti School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 13.6 km
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Hampden School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 18.6 km
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Karitane School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 19.1 km
-
Warrington School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 27.4 km
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Port Chalmers School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 38.9 km
Explore schools in Palmerston
Browse Palmerston schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Co-curricular Activities
Sport – Summer
The following summer sports are available to intermediate students (Years 7–8):
- Futsal – played on Wednesday afternoons at the Edgar Centre, Dunedin
- Touch Rugby – two mixed teams playing at Kensington Oval, Dunedin, on Thursday afternoons
- Volleyball – played on Friday evenings at the Edgar Centre, Dunedin
Secondary students (Years 9–13) can participate in the following summer sports:
- Volleyball – Year 9/10 teams on Friday afternoons; Year 11–13 teams on Monday evenings, both at the Edgar Centre
- Touch Rugby – played in Dunedin on Tuesday afternoons
- Handball – played in Dunedin on Wednesday afternoons
- Futsal – played at the Edgar Centre on Thursday afternoons
Additional summer sports are available through local clubs:
- Equestrian – school team competes at local events; students also attend North Otago Primary Schools Swimming, Otago Primary Schools Swimming and Otago Secondary Schools Swimming Champs
- Golf
- Squash
- Shooting
- Swimming
- Bowls
Sport – Winter
The following winter sports are available to intermediate students (Years 7–8):
- Netball – played on Thursday afternoons at the Edgar Centre, Dunedin
- Basketball (Kiwihoops) – played on Monday evenings at the Edgar Centre, Dunedin
- Hockey – six-a-side teams playing on Friday evenings at the Turf at Logan Park, Dunedin
- Rugby – played through the Eastern Rugby Club on Saturday mornings
Secondary students (Years 9–13) can participate in the following winter sports:
- Basketball – boys and girls teams playing on Friday nights at various school gyms in Dunedin
- Hockey – Senior Hockey 1st XI playing Monday evenings at McMillan Turf or Kings HS Turf in Dunedin, with a six-a-side competition on Tuesday evenings; the 1st XI may attend the SISS Hockey Tournament in September
- Netball – Year 9/10 team and a Senior team playing Saturdays at the Edgar Centre, Dunedin; both teams may attend SISS tournaments in July and September
- Rugby – where a school team cannot be fielded, students may play with Dunedin schools
Duke of Edinburgh Award
The Duke of Edinburgh Award is offered at three levels — Bronze (ages 14+, minimum 6 months), Silver (ages 15+, minimum 12 months), and Gold (ages 16+, minimum 18 months) — each requiring completion of sections in Service, Skills, Adventurous Journey, and Physical Recreation. The Gold level additionally requires a Residential Project of five or more days.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from East Otago High 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 East Otago High 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) | East Otago High School's official website | Current | 22 September 2026 |