Key facts
- School number3815
- School typeContributing · Years 1–6
- AuthorityState : Integrated
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established17 October 1895
About Sacred Heart School (Dunedin)
Sacred Heart School is a Catholic primary school located in North East Valley, Dunedin, situated opposite Dunedin North Intermediate School. It operates within a Dominican (OP) tradition, with a Special Character grounded in Catholic gospel values.
The school was established in 1895, when the first classes were taught by the Sisters in the Parish Church. A school building at 63 North Road opened in 1904 and served the area until 1986–87, when the school was rebuilt on the same site. The Dominican Community maintained a strong presence until 1993. The Sacred Heart Parish is now in the care of the Rosminian Order (IC) and forms part of the Northern Pastoral Area, which includes Holy Name, Port Chalmers, Palmerston, and Waikouaiti Parishes.
The school's vision statement is "Building a future through Faith, Learning and Community". Three core values, described as grounded in the pursuit of truth within a Dominican context, guide the school:
- Respect – Whakaute
- Resilience – Manawaroa
- Relationships – Whanaungatanga
The school is affiliated with the local parish communities of Sacred Heart, North East Valley and Holy Name, Dunedin North. It operates small class sizes and mixed-level groupings. A Student Council, with representatives elected annually by classmates, provides a formal student voice in school decisions.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
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 Sacred Heart School (Dunedin) 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 Sacred Heart School (Dunedin)'s own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 17 students (29.3%)
- Asian — 37 students (63.8%)
- Pacific — 6 students (10.3%)
- Māori — 5 students (8.6%)
- MELAA — 2 students (3.4%)
- Other — 1 students (1.7%)
- International — 2 students (3.4%)
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.
-
John McGlashan College Secondary · Years 7–15 · 1.8 km
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St Hildas Collegiate Secondary · Years 7–15 · 2 km
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Balmacewen Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 2.5 km
-
Logan Park High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 1.1 km
-
Otago Boys' High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 2.8 km
-
Otago Girls' High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 3 km
Location
- Street address63 North Road
- SuburbNorth East Valley
- CityDunedin
- Local authorityDunedin City
Official contact details
- ContactEllen Devaney
- Phone+64 3 473 8362
- Emailoffice@sacredheartdn.school.nz
- Websitewww.sacredheartdn.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Sacred Heart School (Dunedin), regardless of year level.
-
Pine Hill School (Dunedin) Contributing · Years 1–6 · 801 m
-
North East Valley Normal School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 870 m
-
Liberton Christian School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 896 m
-
Ōpoho School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 932 m
-
Logan Park High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 1.1 km
Explore schools in Dunedin
Browse Dunedin schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Enrolment
Sacred Heart School is a State Integrated Primary School with a Special Catholic Character, operating under Ministry of Education curriculum requirements within a Catholic faith environment. The school has a maximum roll of 120 students.
Enrolment enquiries are made by contacting the school office by phone (473 8362) or email (principal@sacredheartdn.school.nz), after which the principal can answer questions or arrange a visit.
Priority for places follows a Catholic character enrolment scheme. A limited number of open enrolment places are available for children from non-Catholic backgrounds, normally set at 5% of the maximum roll. Once a child is enrolled under the open enrolment category, older siblings may also be granted a place, subject to the maximum roll not being exceeded and the consent of the school's proprietor, the Catholic Bishop of Dunedin.
Pre-entry school visits are encouraged and can be arranged with the principal or the first-year teacher, typically five to six weeks before the child's start date. Children from age four may also attend the Earlybirds programme, which runs every other Monday from 1.30 pm to 3.00 pm during term time and includes arts and crafts, music, and visits with junior classes.
Curriculum
Sacred Heart School is a Catholic primary school operating within the Dominican tradition. Its curriculum includes Religious Education, which receives two and a half hours per week of formal instruction using the curriculum prescribed by the Diocese. This covers Catholic beliefs and teachings, Gospel Values, Bible stories, and prayer practices. Students attend Parish Mass regularly during the term, and the school holds a School Family Mass each term.
The school uses a structured literacy spelling programme called iDeal Spelling, described as being based on national and international research, with regular assessment used to identify literacy support needs. A named staff member, Mr McLennan, delivers both extension and remedial mathematics to groups of senior students in addition to their regular in-class sessions.
Support programmes include ESOL and in-class learning support, with teachers providing differentiated lessons. In the senior school, students have access to a one-to-one Chromebook device programme.
The curriculum also includes the following named learning areas and activities:
- Kapa Haka, with karakia and waiata integrated into daily school life
- Health and Physical Education
- The Arts, including a school musical performed bi-annually
- Sport, including Futsal, Basketball, Swimming, and Cross Country
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Sacred Heart School (Dunedin)'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 Sacred Heart School (Dunedin)'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) | Sacred Heart School (Dunedin)'s official website | Current | 24 October 2026 |