Key facts
- School number3790
- School typeContributing · Years 1–6
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established1 February 1938
About Ōpoho School
Ōpoho School is a primary school located off Signal Hill Road in the suburb of Ōpoho, approximately four kilometres from central Dunedin. The suburb is geographically distinct, bordered to the south by the Upper Botanical Gardens and by rural land to the west and north.
The school sits close to the University of Otago campus and Knox Theological College in North Dunedin. The school notes that many families in its community have connections to these institutions through employment or study.
The school publishes a Strategic Plan covering 2024–2026 alongside an Annual Implementation Plan.
Enrolment
Enrolment scheme on recordŌpoho 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 410, Ōpoho 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 Ōpoho 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 Ōpoho School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 107 students (87.7%)
- Asian — 12 students (9.8%)
- Pacific — 6 students (4.9%)
- Māori — 12 students (9.8%)
- MELAA — 3 students (2.5%)
- Other — 2 students (1.6%)
- International — 1 students (0.8%)
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.
-
Balmacewen Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 3.4 km
-
Bayfield High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 4.8 km
Location
- Street address96 Signal Hill Road
- SuburbOpoho
- CityDunedin
- Local authorityDunedin City
Official contact details
- ContactJared Holden
- Phone03-4738019
- Emailoffice@opoho.school.nz
- Websitewww.opoho.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Ōpoho School, regardless of year level.
-
Balmacewen Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 3.4 km
-
Bayfield High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 4.8 km
-
Amana Christian School Composite · Years 1–15 · 14.3 km
-
West Gore School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 127.2 km
-
Aurora College Secondary · Years 7–15 · 177.6 km
Explore schools in Dunedin
Browse Dunedin schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Co-curricular Activities
Ōpoho School offers the following named co-curricular activities:
- Netball — competitive team sport, winter season
- Hockey — competitive team sport, winter season
- Miniball — competitive team sport, winter season
- Summer hockey — competitive team sport, summer season
- Futsal — competitive team sport, summer season
- Touch rugby — competitive team sport, summer season
- Teeball — competitive team sport, summer season
- Swimming — coaching provided by Jill Clarke Swim School at the Dunedin North swimming pool on Opoho Road; children participate in 8 lessons twice a year, typically in Terms 1 and 3 or 4
- Kapahaka — weekly group mentored by professional kapahaka tutors; covers traditional Māori songs, poi, haka, tikanga, and te reo; participates in the annual Otago Māori and Pacific Festival held in Term 3
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Ōpoho 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 Ōpoho 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 | — | 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) | Ōpoho School's official website | Current | 17 September 2026 |