Key facts
- School number334
- School typeSecondary · Years 9–15
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established4 February 1958
About Riccarton High School
Riccarton High School (Te Kura Tuarua o Pūtaringamotu) is a state secondary school in Christchurch, New Zealand, with just over 1,100 students. It is a co-educational, non-faith-based school operating on a whare (house) structure with small vertical whānau groups that meet regularly throughout the week.
The school's four named values are Manawanui (Commitment), Ngākaupono (Honesty), Manaakitanga (Respect), and Kairangi (Excellence).
The school draws students from over 70 ethnicities, with approximately 31% of students born overseas, representing 44 different countries. Extracurricular activity includes sport, drama, dance, music, and cultural groups including Pasifika, Filipino, Chinese, and Kapa Haka.
Enrolment
Enrolment scheme on recordRiccarton 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 440, Riccarton 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 Riccarton 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 Riccarton High School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 370 students (33.3%)
- Asian — 597 students (53.8%)
- Pacific — 85 students (7.7%)
- Māori — 111 students (10%)
- MELAA — 77 students (6.9%)
- Other — 17 students (1.5%)
- International — 47 students (4.2%)
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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Our Lady of Victories Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 585 m
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Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 2.7 km
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Te Ara Koropiko West Spreydon School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 4.5 km
Further education in Christchurch
Explore tertiary providers based in Christchurch — not necessarily where Riccarton High School's own students go on to study.
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University of Canterbury Universities
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Ara Institute of Canterbury Institutes of Technology & Polytechnics
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Hagley Community College YG Other Tertiary Education Providers
Location
- Street address31 Vicki Street
- SuburbSockburn
- CityChristchurch
- Local authorityChristchurch City
Official contact details
- ContactAnthea Knowles (Acting)
- Phone+64 3 348 5073
- Emailinfo@riccarton.school.nz
- Websitewww.riccarton.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Riccarton High School, regardless of year level.
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Our Lady of Victories Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 585 m
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Middleton Grange School Composite · Years 1–15 · 820 m
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Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 2.7 km
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Te Whānau o Ōtūmatua Specialist School · 2.9 km
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Hornby High School Secondary · Years 7–15 · 3.1 km
Explore schools in Christchurch
Browse Christchurch schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Curriculum
Riccarton High School covers Years 9 to 13. The junior school (Years 9 and 10) follows all eight learning areas of the New Zealand Curriculum. The senior school (Years 11 to 13) is structured around NCEA Levels 1, 2, and 3, with Year 13 students also able to work toward University Entrance.
Years 9 and 10
The following subjects run for the full year in both Year 9 and Year 10:
- English
- Health & Physical Education
- Mathematics
- Science
- Social Studies
Year 9 students also study, on a semester rotation:
- Arts — Dance, Visual Art, and Music (one semester each)
- Learning Languages — one of French, Japanese, Te Reo Māori, or English as an Additional Language
- Technology — Design and Visual Communication, Digital Technologies, Food Technology, and Hard Materials (one semester each)
Senior School (Years 11–13)
At Year 11, students take English (or an English Language Course) and Mathematics, plus four further subjects, studying toward NCEA Level 1. At Year 12, students take six subjects, primarily toward NCEA Level 2, though other qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework are also available. At Year 13, students take five subjects (some take six) toward NCEA Level 3, with no compulsory subjects at this level.
The school states it aims to accommodate student subject choices but reserves the right to direct students into particular courses where it considers this to be in the student's interest. Further detail on assessment procedures and student rights is set out in the school's student assessment procedures handbook.
Co-curricular Activities
The following named sports and co-curricular activities are offered at Riccarton High School.
- Volleyball — indoor and beach formats; multiple teams at each age group; games on Mondays; national championships in Palmerston North for Year 11–13 students
- Cricket — boys and girls, Years 9–13; Saturday competition; First XI competes in the First XI Schools Cup and a T20 one-day tournament; training Mondays and Thursdays
- Touch — four teams (Year 9/10 Girls, Year 9/10 Boys, Senior Girls, Senior Boys); games on Wednesdays; senior teams compete in Canterbury and South Island Tournaments
- Ultimate Frisbee — summer sport played in Terms 1 and 4; teams at junior and senior levels
- Musical Extravaganza — annual ticketed performance by senior music students, held in the school hall
Student Support and Pastoral Care
Riccarton High School organises pastoral care around a structure of four whare (houses). The following named support services and roles operate within this system.
- Whare (house groups): Each of the four whare is led by a kaiarataki (head of house) and a kaitiaki (dean of house). Students remain connected to the same whare throughout their time at the school.
- Whānau classes: Each whare is divided into whānau classes of around 18 students, drawn from Years 9 to 13, each with one whānau teacher. Classes meet for two 20-minute sessions per week and one longer session focused on academic mentoring, life skills, and wellbeing. The mixed-year structure is intended to allow older students to mentor younger ones, following the tuakana–teina model.
- Guidance counsellors: The school has three counsellors available to help students make informed decisions about their future and to support students with concerns relating to school or home life.
- Pakiaka – Learning Support (Kahikatea): Led by the Learning Support Co-ordinator, this service supports students with diagnosed learning disabilities, physical disabilities, or behavioural disorders. It also administers Special Assessment Conditions (SACs) for eligible students sitting internal and external assessments.
- Muslim Wellbeing Otautahi: A wellbeing service operating under Purapura Whetu, available to Muslim students and their whānau. It provides support across broader wellbeing areas, including situations where there may be conflicting views between ethnic minority or Islamic values and other contexts.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Riccarton 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 Riccarton 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) | Riccarton High School's official website | Current | 1 October 2026 |