Key facts
- School number3762
- School typeContributing · Years 1–6
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established26 January 1859
About Macandrew Bay School
Macandrew Bay School is a primary school serving students in Years 1–6, located in the Macandrew Bay community near Dunedin. The school describes itself as a community hub, and its curriculum and values have been developed in consultation with students and local whānau.
The school is not faith-based or Māori-medium, but it incorporates te reo Māori terminology and tikanga Māori concepts into its everyday practice. Its six school values — Responsibility, Honesty, Independence, Passion for Learning, Respect, and Kindness and Caring — are framed through two Te Ao Māori concepts: Kaitiakitaka and Manaakitaka.
A notable curriculum focus is STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics), which is integrated across classrooms through hands-on and project-based learning. The school is a member of the Otakou STEAM Cluster and has participated in the Dunedin STEAM exhibition at Otago Polytechnic. The school also uses an integrated topic approach across the curriculum, and Kapa Haka is a whole-school activity each week during Terms 2 and 3.
The school has its own swimming pool and a semi-rural setting that includes farmland used for its annual cross country event, features that reflect its semi-rural location on the Otago Peninsula.
Enrolment
Enrolment scheme on recordMacandrew Bay 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 may be requested".
With an Equity Index of 387, Macandrew Bay 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 Macandrew Bay 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 Macandrew Bay School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 116 students (87.2%)
- Asian — 13 students (9.8%)
- Pacific — 1 students (0.8%)
- Māori — 27 students (20.3%)
- MELAA — 5 students (3.8%)
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.
-
Tahuna Normal Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 7.3 km
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St Hildas Collegiate Secondary · Years 7–15 · 7.3 km
-
Trinity Catholic College Secondary · Years 7–15 · 7.8 km
-
Logan Park High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 5.4 km
-
Bayfield High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 6.5 km
-
Otago Girls' High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 7.6 km
Location
- Street address488 Portobello Road
- SuburbMacandrew Bay
- CityDunedin
- Local authorityDunedin City
Official contact details
- ContactNicola Brown
- Phone+64 3 476 1004
- Emailadmin@macandrewbay.school.nz
- Websitemacandrewbay.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Macandrew Bay School, regardless of year level.
-
Broad Bay School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 3.2 km
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Grants Braes School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 5.2 km
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Ōpoho School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 5.3 km
-
Logan Park High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 5.4 km
-
Sawyers Bay School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 5.6 km
Explore schools in Dunedin
Browse Dunedin schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Macandrew Bay 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 Macandrew Bay 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) | Macandrew Bay School's official website | Current | 16 October 2026 |