Key facts
- School number349
- School typeSecondary · Years 7–15
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established17 November 1858
About Ellesmere College
Ellesmere College – Te Kāreti o Waihora is a co-educational state school in Leeston, a small rural town close to Christchurch, catering to students from Year 7 to Year 13. The school occupies seven hectares of land within the takiwā of Te Taumutu Rūnanga.
The school traces its origins to Southbridge District High School, which opened in 1903 on the grounds of Southbridge School. After a fire destroyed the merged schools' buildings in 1924, the district high school was rebuilt on the same site. It closed in 1981, and Ellesmere College – Te Kāreti o Waihora was founded in Leeston that same year. Most of the school's buildings were constructed in Timaru in 1980 and transported to the Leeston site. The college opened in February 1981 with a blessing from Te Taumutu Rūnunga kaumātua and Ngāi Tahu rangatira Riki Te Mairaki Ellison, after whom the school gymnasium is named. On opening day the school was dedicated as a Marae by Riki Te Mairaki Ellison — a status believed to have been unique among South Island secondary schools for several decades. The school opened with 23 staff and 380 students.
Ellesmere College is part of the Kāhui Ako Ngā Mātāpuna o te Waihora and maintains a formal relationship with Te Taumutu Rūnanga, one of 18 Ngāi Tahu Papatipu Rūnanga, based at Te Pā o Moki Marae, Taumutu. Te Taumutu Rūnanga is the kaitiaki of Te Waihora and the surrounding Selwyn District.
The school's stated values, referred to as RISE, are Respect, Integrity, Success, and Empathy. These are incorporated into school life through a Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) programme.
Enrolment
Enrolment scheme on recordEllesmere College has an enrolment scheme (a home zone) on record. Living inside it guarantees a place; living outside it does not, though out-of-zone applications may still be considered.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
With an Equity Index of 462, Ellesmere College 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 Ellesmere College 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 Ellesmere College's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 467 students (80.5%)
- Asian — 88 students (15.2%)
- Pacific — 19 students (3.3%)
- Māori — 104 students (17.9%)
- MELAA — 24 students (4.1%)
- Other — 10 students (1.7%)
- International — 21 students (3.6%)
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.
-
Clearview Primary Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 18.3 km
-
Rolleston School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 19.7 km
Location
- Street addressLeeston Dunsandel Road
- CityLeeston
- Local authoritySelwyn District
Official contact details
- ContactAntony French
- Phone+64 3 324 3369
- Emailpoorterd@ellesmere.school.nz
- Websitewww.ellesmere.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Ellesmere College, regardless of year level.
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Clearview Primary Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 18.3 km
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Rolleston School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 19.7 km
-
Hornby High School Secondary · Years 7–15 · 30.9 km
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Te Kura Tuarua o Horomaka Hillmorton High School Secondary · Years 7–15 · 32.9 km
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Darfield High School Secondary · Years 7–15 · 33.4 km
Explore schools in Leeston
Browse Leeston schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Co-curricular Activities
The following named sports, arts, and cultural activities are listed as available at Ellesmere College.
- Rugby
- Swimming
- Basketball
- Tennis
- Equestrian
- Netball
- Chess
- Kapa Haka
- Debating
- Coding
- Stage Challenge
- Yearly school productions
- National music competitions
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Ellesmere College'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 Ellesmere College'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 | — | 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) | Ellesmere College's official website | Current | 22 September 2026 |