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Roncalli College, Timaru

Secondary · Years 9–15 · Co-Educational · Timaru

A Catholic co-educational secondary school in Timaru, it was established in 1982 through the amalgamation of St Patrick's High School and Mercy College. It operates as a Catholic special-character school within the Marist and Mercy traditions.

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Roll data from September 2026

Jump to: About · Curriculum · Extracurricular · Student support

At a glance

TypeSecondary · Years 9–15
LocationTimaru
RegionCanterbury Region
School number358
500
Students
as at September 2026
446
Equity Index
Yes
Enrolment scheme
Open
School status

Key facts

  • School number358
  • School typeSecondary · Years 9–15
  • AuthorityState : Integrated
  • GenderCo-Educational
  • BoardingNo
  • Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
  • Established1 February 1982
See NZ school term dates & holidays →

About Roncalli College

Roncalli College is a Catholic secondary school in New Zealand. Its mission statement describes the school community as being "empowered, enabled and inspired by our Catholic faith to achieve success and make a difference," indicating that Catholic faith is central to the school's stated values and direction.

The school aims to provide a learning environment that exposes students to a range of experiences and opportunities in preparation for life after school.

Enrolment

Enrolment scheme on record

Roncalli 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 may be requested".

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 Roncalli College actually sits, not just the number on its own.

OFFICIAL DATA
446
Scale: 344–569
Band: Below 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 445
Roncalli College 446

Student ethnicity

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

  • European — 396 students (79.2%)
  • Asian — 63 students (12.6%)
  • Pacific — 14 students (2.8%)
  • Māori — 75 students (15%)
  • MELAA — 7 students (1.4%)
  • Other — 6 students (1.2%)

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.

Previous stage
Current stage — Roncalli College
Secondary · Years 9–15

Location

View larger map on OpenStreetMap
  • Street addressWellington Street
  • CityTimaru
  • Local authorityTimaru District

Official contact details

Nearby schools

Schools physically closest to Roncalli College, regardless of year level.

Explore schools in Timaru

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

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Curriculum

Roncalli College offers a junior curriculum in Years 9 and 10 and a senior curriculum across Years 11, 12 and 13, leading to NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3 and University Entrance.

All Year 9 and 10 students study a compulsory set of core subjects. Year 9 includes taster sessions across available options. In Year 10, students may choose up to four optional subjects within a two-semester structure, with some Year 9 core subjects becoming options at that level.

In the senior school, students complete six courses per year. The college recommends that all students leave with at least NCEA Level 2. Course and certificate endorsements are available: a Merit endorsement requires 14 or 50 credits at Merit or above respectively; an Excellence endorsement requires 14 or 50 credits at Excellence. For most subjects, endorsements require at least one external standard at the relevant grade. Physical Education and Religious Education are exceptions to this external standard requirement.

University Entrance requires NCEA Level 3, plus 14 credits in each of at least three University Entrance approved subjects, UE Literacy (5 reading and 5 writing credits from approved standards), and UE Numeracy (10 credits at Level 1 or above).

Co-curricular Activities

Sports

Roncalli College participates in two inter-school sports tournaments and several annual whole-school events.

  • Catholic Colleges Sports Tournament — held in Term One with St Kevins College (Oamaru), Kavanagh College (Dunedin), St Peter's College (Gore), and Verdon College (Invercargill)
  • Mercy Cup Tournament — held in Term Two with St Kevins College (Oamaru), Villa Maria College, Catholic Cathedral College, Marian College (Christchurch), and John Paul II College (Grey Mouth)
  • Sports exchange with St Thomas's of Canterbury (Christchurch)
  • Swimming sports — annual whole-school event held in Term One
  • Athletics — annual whole-school event held in Term One
  • College Fun Run — annual whole-school event held in Term One

Cultural Groups

  • Kapa Haka — leads the annual Mihi Whakatau, supports Timaru Citizenship Ceremonies and College Masses, and competes in events including Manu Kōrero and the Flava Competition
  • Pasifika Group — meets regularly with support from Multicultural Aoraki; hosted a combined local event called Poly Pull Up
  • Filipino Group — celebrates Philippines Independence Day with cultural dances and food

Creative Arts

  • Live Theatre — students devise and direct performances through Drama courses and attend professional performances and workshops
  • Ukulele Orchestra — rehearses Friday lunchtimes in the Music block
  • Chamber Music — students form groups and enter the Chamber Music contest
  • Rock Bands — student ensembles perform at local events and in Smokefree Rockquest; senior students mentor junior bands
  • Audio Visual (AV) — students operate lighting consoles, mixing desks, and technical support for College events
  • Itinerant and Private Instrumental Lessons — weekly 20-minute individual and group lessons delivered by instrument specialists, open to all students; some College instruments available for hire

Outdoor Education

  • Year 10 Camp — a five-day camp; the 2026 fee is $475
  • Mountaineering
  • Skiing
  • Kayaking

Student Support and Pastoral Care

Roncalli College operates a Wellbeing Centre that students can access for a range of support needs. A referral form is available online, and the centre can be contacted directly by phone.

The Wellbeing Centre addresses the following categories of need:

  • Wellbeing Centre — provides support across a broad range of personal, social, and health-related concerns, including mental health, anxiety and stress, depression, grief and loss, self-harm, eating and body disorders, emotion dysregulation, abuse, anger, drug and alcohol and vaping and smoking issues, sexuality and gender, bullying, homesickness, family and friendship issues, self-esteem, relationship support, financial support, and direction and goal setting. The centre can also link students with outside agencies, supply menstrual products, and help students support a friend or family member.

The Wellbeing team also maintains a dedicated wellbeing website to support students and their families.

Frequently asked

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

Roncalli College is classified as a Secondary (Year 9-15) school serving Years 9–15.

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. Roncalli 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.

500 students, according to the September 2026 roll data.

It reflects the estimated socio-economic barriers Roncalli College'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 Roncalli College'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 — 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) Roncalli College's official website Current 27 September 2026