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Hornby High School, Christchurch

Secondary · Years 7–15 · Co-Educational · Hornby, Christchurch

A state secondary school located in Hornby, Christchurch, serving students from Years 7 through 13. It operates as a 1:1 digital school, requiring all students to have a personal digital device for daily learning.

Last checked 20 September 2026 · Roll data from August 2026

Jump to: About · Curriculum · Extracurricular · Student support

At a glance

TypeSecondary · Years 7–15
LocationChristchurch
RegionCanterbury Region
School number338
1,018
Students
as at August 2026
489
Equity Index
Yes
Enrolment scheme
Open
School status

Key facts

  • School number338
  • School typeSecondary · Years 7–15
  • AuthorityState
  • GenderCo-Educational
  • BoardingNo
  • Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
  • Established26 January 1975
See NZ school term dates & holidays →

About Hornby High School

Hornby High School is a secondary school that identifies four core values: Commitment, Achievement, Resilience, and Respect.

The school is one of seven schools in the Uru Mānuka Cluster, which has participated in the Manaiakalani Outreach Programme since 2015. Through this programme, the cluster schools work together using a Learn, Create, Share pedagogy aimed at accelerating student achievement.

Hornby High School issues Chromebooks to students, governed by a Kawa of Care agreement between students, parents, and the school covering the responsible use of those devices.

Enrolment

Enrolment scheme on record

Hornby High School 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 489, Hornby 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 Hornby High School actually sits, not just the number on its own.

OFFICIAL DATA
489
Scale: 344–569
Band: Above Average (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 442.5
Hornby High School 489

Student ethnicity

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

  • European — 384 students (37.7%)
  • Asian — 419 students (41.2%)
  • Pacific — 109 students (10.7%)
  • Māori — 221 students (21.7%)
  • MELAA — 29 students (2.8%)
  • Other — 9 students (0.9%)
  • International — 14 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.

Previous stage
Current stage — Hornby High School
Secondary · Years 7–15

Further education in Christchurch

Explore tertiary providers based in Christchurch — not necessarily where Hornby High School's own students go on to study.

See all tertiary providers in Christchurch →

Location

View larger map on OpenStreetMap
  • Street address180 Waterloo Road
  • SuburbHornby
  • CityChristchurch
  • Local authorityChristchurch City

Official contact details

Nearby schools

Schools physically closest to Hornby High School, regardless of year level.

Explore schools in Christchurch

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

Full Primary schools (6) Secondary schools (5) Composite schools (1) Contributing schools (1) All schools in Christchurch →

Curriculum

Hornby High School covers Year 7 to Year 13. Since 2023, the timetable has been structured around Wānanga — an extended learning advisory grouping — which runs across all year levels.

Year 7 and 8 students spend most of their timetable with a single Wānanga teacher. Their weekly curriculum is allocated as follows:

Subject / Area Time per week
Literacy300 minutes
Numeracy300 minutes
Integrated curriculum (Social Studies, The Arts, etc.)360 minutes
Science120 minutes
Option / Technology classes120 minutes
Sport120 minutes
Wānanga / form class180 minutes

Year 9 and 10 students are taught in separate year-level classes for most subjects. Their weekly curriculum includes:

  • English
  • Maths
  • Science
  • Social Science
  • Physical Education
  • Health
  • Options / Technology classes / The Arts

Senior students in Years 11, 12, and 13 each complete a full course of study towards an NCEA qualification — most Year 11 students work towards NCEA Level 1. Year 11 students take five full courses alongside Wānanga, with English (or Te Reo) among the stated subjects.

The school has been part of the Manaiakalani Outreach Programme since 2015, as one of seven schools in the Uru Mānuka Cluster, using a Learn, Create, Share pedagogy.

Co-curricular Activities

Arts

  • Uber Rock Band (Years 7–13) — Terms 1 and 2
  • Voices with Soul (Years 9–13) — year-long
  • Show Choir (Years 7–13) — Term 2
  • Takahia Galeria — runs two to three times per term, all year

Culture

  • Book Club — fortnightly on alternating Tuesdays and Thursdays at lunchtime
  • Bollywood/Classical Dance — year-long, Thursday interval
  • Filipino Youth Group — year-long

Environmental Action

  • Eco-Warriors — all year
  • Vege Garden — all year

Extension

  • Tabletop Gaming — year-long
  • Chess — year-long
  • Maths Club (Years 9–13) — year-long
  • Junior Maths Club (Years 7–8) — year-long
  • Children's University Club — year-long
  • Duke of Edinburgh — year-long

Sport

The following sports activities are available across the year.

  • Athletics — Terms 1 and 4
  • Rugby — pre-season Terms 1 and 4; competition Terms 2 and 3
  • Year 7/8 Basketball — Terms 2 and 3
  • Year 9–13 Basketball — Terms 2 and 3
  • Indoor Football — Terms 1 and 4
  • Football — Term 3
  • Indoor Netball — Terms 1 and 4
  • Netball — Terms 2 and 3
  • Touch — Terms 2 and 3
  • Ki O Rahi — tournament-based
  • Intermediate Sports (Years 7 and 8) — year-long
  • Badminton — Terms 2 and 3
  • Volleyball — Terms 1 and 4
  • Shooting — Term 3

Technology and E-sports

  • Minecraft Club — year-long
  • ESports — Terms 2 and 3
  • AV Club — year-long
  • Recycle a Device Club — year-long
  • Broadcasting Team — year-long

Student Support and Pastoral Care

Hornby High School provides the following named student support services:

  • Learning Support Department: Provides specialised programmes for students requiring additional academic assistance, ranging from full-time support to short-term catch-up. Students are assessed using LUCID Rapid, Exact and Non-verbal tools. Those needing a high level of support receive an in-class teacher aide working toward goals set in an individual IEP.
  • English Language Support (ESOL): Students needing English language assistance are assessed on entry and given an individual programme, which may range from a few hours of language work per week to a full English teaching programme. Timetable flexibility allows ESOL students to join mainstream subjects as their language ability develops.
  • Counselling Service: Staffed by one full-time counsellor (Ms Sarah Kavanagh) and one part-time counsellor (Ms Beth Maarschalk). Counsellors support students with personal issues, coping strategies, and goal-setting. Counselling is confidential except where safety concerns arise. Students can book appointments by email, appointment slip, or online booking form.
  • Deans: A point of contact for parents, caregivers, or students with concerns about student wellbeing.

Frequently asked

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

Hornby High School is classified as a Secondary (Year 7-15) school serving Years 7–15.

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.

Yes. Hornby High School 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.

1,018 students, according to the August 2026 roll data.

It reflects the estimated socio-economic barriers Hornby High 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 Hornby High 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) Hornby High School's official website Current 20 September 2026