Key facts
- School number404
- School typeSecondary · Years 7–15
- AuthorityState
- GenderBoys School
- BoardingYes
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established26 January 1881
About Southland Boys' High School
Southland Boys' High School is a state secondary school located in Southland, New Zealand. It was established in 1881 and caters to students in Years 7 to 13. The school describes itself as the only boys' Year 7–13 state school in New Zealand.
The school's motto is Non Scholae Sed Vitae Discimus — "Not for School but for Life we are Learning" — which the school states is reflected throughout its curriculum.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations may be requested".
With an Equity Index of 464, Southland Boys' 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 Southland Boys' 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 Southland Boys' High School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 905 students (84%)
- Asian — 43 students (4%)
- Pacific — 119 students (11%)
- Māori — 290 students (26.9%)
- MELAA — 21 students (1.9%)
- Other — 9 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.
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Windsor North School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 626 m
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St John's Girls' School (Invercargill) Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 928 m
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St Theresa's School (Invercargill) Contributing · Years 1–6 · 1 km
Further education in Invercargill
Explore tertiary providers based in Invercargill — not necessarily where Southland Boys' High School's own students go on to study.
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Southern Institute of Technology Institutes of Technology & Polytechnics
Location
- Street address181 Herbert Street
- CityInvercargill
- Local authorityInvercargill City
Official contact details
- ContactRay Laurenson
- Phone+64 3 211 3003
- Emailmail@sbhs.school.nz
- Websitewww.sbhs.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Southland Boys' High School, regardless of year level.
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Windsor North School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 626 m
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St John's Girls' School (Invercargill) Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 928 m
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St Theresa's School (Invercargill) Contributing · Years 1–6 · 1 km
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Salford School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 1.5 km
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Waverley Park School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 1.9 km
Explore schools in Invercargill
Browse Invercargill schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Enrolment
Southland Boys' High School operates an enrolment scheme under section 11G(3) of the Education Act 1989. Students living within the home zone are entitled to enrol at any time. Out-of-zone places are limited and determined annually by the School Board.
Home zone boundaries
The home zone is defined by the following street boundaries, with the boundary line being the street centre line unless otherwise stated:
- Queens Drive from Gala Street to the Waihopai River
- Waihopai River from Queens Drive to the Gladstone Terrace/Grey Street intersection
- Grey Street from Gladstone Terrace to Herbert Street
- Herbert Street from Grey Street to Kelvin Street
- Kelvin Street from Herbert Street to Gala Street
- Gala Street from Kelvin Street to Queens Drive
Out-of-zone priority order
When out-of-zone places are available, applications are processed in the following order of priority:
- Siblings of current students
- Siblings of former students
- Children of former students
- Children of board employees
- All other applicants
If a priority group has more applicants than available places, selection within that group is by ballot. Proof of sibling relationship may be required for second or third priority applicants.
Application process
Applications are submitted through an online enrolment portal. Applicants complete a Stage 1 Application Form, which is sent to a nominated email address after initial details are entered. Supporting documents must be uploaded before the application is considered complete. The school recommends completing the form on a computer. In-zone applicants can apply at any time by contacting the Enrolment Officer to have the portal opened for their application.
Sports and Co-curricular Activities
Southland Boys' High School offers the following named sports and activities. The school also runs a Developing Athletes Programme to support elite athletes across multiple disciplines.
- Athletics — summer sport; track and field events including sprints, distance running, jumping, and throwing
- Badminton — winter sport
- Basketball — all year
- Bowls — all year
- Chess — all year
- Cricket — summer sport
- Cross Country — winter sport
- Cycling — all year; road, time trial, and track formats
- Debating — all year
- Football — winter sport
- Futsal — summer sport; played indoors
- Golf — all year
- Hockey — winter sport
- Netball — winter sport
- Rugby — winter sport; the school also operates an SBHS Rugby Club with registration via School Bridge
- Softball — summer sport
- Squash — all year
- Swimming — all year
- Table Tennis — winter sport
- Tennis — summer sport
- Touch — summer sport
- Volleyball — summer sport
- Water Polo — summer sport
Pastoral Care and Student Support
Southland Boys' High School organises student support through several named roles and departments.
- Guidance Counsellor — an onsite counsellor providing a confidential environment where students can discuss personal challenges, hardship, or emotional difficulties, with referrals to external agencies when additional support is needed.
- Learning Support Department — works alongside classroom teachers to identify students who face barriers to accessing the curriculum due to learning differences, health needs, or physical considerations. Support can include teacher aide assistance, individualised learning programmes, reader/writer support, and connections with community services.
- Year-level Deans — work as part of the pastoral team to monitor student progress and wellbeing across year groups.
- Careers Department — supports students as they plan transitions from school into further education, training, or employment.
The school also operates a peer support structure in which senior students take on mentoring roles. Prefects work directly with Year 7 and 8 students, Year 10–13 students can assist younger students with reading development, and individual departments offer additional academic coaching. Class representatives from Years 7 and 8 meet with staff twice per term to raise student concerns, and one student is elected annually to serve on the Board of Trustees.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Southland Boys' 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 Southland Boys' 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) | Southland Boys' High School's official website | Current | 9 October 2026 |