Key facts
- School number380
- School typeSecondary · Years 7–15
- AuthorityState : Integrated
- GenderGirls School
- BoardingYes
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established1 February 1896
About St Hildas Collegiate
St Hilda's Collegiate is a girls' school located in Ōtepoti Dunedin, operating with an Anglican Special Character. The school describes itself as intentionally small, with the stated aim that every student is known individually.
The school's Anglican foundation shapes daily life in concrete ways. Students attend Chapel weekly with their Whanaungatanga group, and full-school Chapel services are held for events including Eucharist services, Ash Wednesday, and St Hilda's Day. Religious Education is taught at every year level from Year 7 to Year 12. The school does not require students or families to be Anglican, but expects engagement with the values its special character entails.
The school organises its values under four headings:
- Be you — self-belief, self-knowledge, and self-respect
- Can do — effort, courage, and persistence
- Explore faith — hope, acceptance, spiritual awareness, and the school's Anglican heritage
- Better together — diversity, compassion, belonging, and community connection
The school uses a restorative practice approach to behaviour, focusing on accountability and repairing relationships rather than purely punitive responses.
Governance involves three bodies: the Board of Trustees, responsible for school governance; the Board of Proprietors, responsible for buildings and facilities; and the Parents' and Friends' Association, which organises community and fundraising activities. A Tolcarne Committee provides a direct link between boarding families in Otago and Southland and the school's boarding management.
Enrolment
Enrolment scheme on recordSt Hildas Collegiate 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 St Hildas Collegiate 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 St Hildas Collegiate's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 420 students (89.7%)
- Asian — 37 students (7.9%)
- Pacific — 7 students (1.5%)
- Māori — 58 students (12.4%)
- MELAA — 4 students (0.9%)
- Other — 5 students (1.1%)
- International — 15 students (3.2%)
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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Balmacewen Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 1.4 km
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Ōpoho School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 2.7 km
Further education in Dunedin
Explore tertiary providers based in Dunedin — not necessarily where St Hildas Collegiate's own students go on to study.
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University of Otago Universities
-
Otago Polytechnic Institutes of Technology & Polytechnics
Location
- Street address2 Cobden Street
- CityDunedin
- Local authorityDunedin City
Official contact details
- ContactJacqueline Barron
- Phone+64 3 477 0989
- Emailadmin@shcs.school.nz
- Websitewww.shcs.school.nz/
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to St Hildas Collegiate, regardless of year level.
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Otago Girls' High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 982 m
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Balmacewen Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 1.4 km
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Logan Park High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 2 km
-
Ōpoho School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 2.7 km
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Bayfield High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 3.5 km
Explore schools in Dunedin
Browse Dunedin schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Curriculum
St Hilda's Collegiate offers senior courses structured around NCEA. Each course is designed to generate between 18 and 24 credits, allowing students taking five subjects to accumulate up to 120 credits. The school states this credit range is intended to meet general admission requirements for tertiary study.
Assessment is integrated into taught courses rather than treated as a separate accumulation exercise. The school awards Academic Blues to recognise excellence in NCEA achievement across all levels.
Co-curricular Activities and Sports
St Hilda's Collegiate offers the following named sports:
- Aerobics
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Cricket
- Cross-country
- Curling
- Equestrian
- Football
- Futsal
- Golf
- Harriers
- Hockey
- Ice hockey
- Miniball
- Minivolley
- Multi-sports
- Netball
- Rock climbing
- Rowing
- Rugby and rugby sevens
- Skiing
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Touch
- Triathlon/duathlon
- Volleyball
- Water polo
- Water skiing
Student Support and Pastoral Care
St Hilda's Collegiate provides a range of named pastoral and support services for students.
- Deans Team and Deputy Principal of Pastoral: Work with students and their whānau on matters relating to learning, relationships, behaviour, and wellbeing.
- School Counsellor: Dr Marcelle Nader-Turner, a counsellor and neuropsychotherapist, provides a confidential service addressing emotional and mental health needs. She works with students, families, and staff, and attends Health classes to discuss stress management, anxiety, and sex education. She is bound by the New Zealand Association of Counsellors Code of Ethics.
- School Nurse: A confidential health clinic is available to students once a week during lunchtime.
- Chaplain: Dr Gillian Townsley works with students and staff to address spiritual and emotional needs.
- Learning Support Team: Supports students experiencing challenges with their studies, while also working to build student independence and resilience rather than reliance on ongoing assistance. The team also ensures students who qualify receive Special Assessment Conditions (SACs) for NCEA.
- Whanaungatanga Groups: 28 vertical groups of approximately 18 students each, spanning Years 7–13, led by a staff member. Students remain in the same group throughout their time at the school.
- New Student Buddy System: Year-level Deans arrange a buddy for each new student to help them settle into school routines.
- Peer Tutoring: Overseen by the Academic Prefect, this programme matches student volunteer tutors with students seeking subject-specific help.
- Wellbeing Committee: Run by the Wellbeing Prefects, this group organises activities to support student mental wellbeing and school-wide wellbeing initiatives.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from St Hildas Collegiate'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 St Hildas Collegiate'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) | St Hildas Collegiate's official website | Current | 18 September 2026 |