St Mary's School (Christchurch) — School Profile

Key facts

School number3535
School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
AuthorityState : Integrated
GenderCo-Educational
BoardingNo
Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
Established12 August 1894

About St Mary's School (Christchurch)

St Mary's School is a Catholic state primary school in Christchurch, New Zealand, catering for boys and girls from New Entrants to Year 8. It was established in 1894 by the Sisters of Mercy. Classes are organised as composite classrooms.

The school's stated mission is to provide a Catholic education that encourages pupils to realise their full potential in family, community, and society. Its vision calls on students to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and act as his voice in the community.

The school's values are framed under the acronym S.T.A.R., with each value expressed in both English and te reo Māori:

Service / ratonga — helping others and standing up for what is right and just
Teamwork / mahi ngātahi — working together for the good of all
Acceptance / whakaaetanga — being positive about different views, beliefs, and cultures
Respect / whakaute — looking after oneself, others, and the environment

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 St Mary's School (Christchurch) actually sits, not just the number on its own.

OFFICIAL DATA

397

Scale: 344–569

Band: Fewest (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

St Mary's School (Christchurch) 397

Student ethnicity

The Ministry publishes this as a raw table — here it's visualised directly against St Mary's School (Christchurch)'s own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.

European — 39 students (30.7%)
Asian — 73 students (57.5%)
Pacific — 8 students (6.3%)
Māori — 9 students (7.1%)
MELAA — 10 students (7.9%)

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.

Current stage — St Mary's School (Christchurch)

Full Primary · Years 1–8

Potential next stage

Catholic Cathedral College Secondary · Years 7–15 · 1.7 km
Te Aratai College Secondary · Years 7–15 · 2.8 km
Te Kura Tuarua o Horomaka Hillmorton High School Secondary · Years 7–15 · 5.4 km

Secondary options (further away or later entry)

Te Puna Wai o Waipapa - Hagley College Secondary · Years 9–15 · 2 km
Marian College Secondary · Years 9–15 · 4.7 km
Cashmere High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 4.8 km

Location

View larger map on OpenStreetMap

Street address375 Manchester Street
CityChristchurch
Local authorityChristchurch City

Official contact details

Nearby schools

Schools physically closest to St Mary's School (Christchurch), regardless of year level.

The Cathedral Grammar School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 1 km
Kingslea School Specialist School · 1.3 km
St Michael's Church School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 1.4 km
Selwyn House School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 1.5 km
St Albans School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 1.7 km

Explore schools in Christchurch

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

Full Primary schools (15) Secondary schools (8) Contributing schools (6) Composite schools (3) Other (2) All schools in Christchurch →

Enrolment

St Mary's School is a Catholic state-integrated school. Its enrolment policy is governed by the school's Special Character, and all applicants must obtain a Preference of Enrolment Certificate from The Cathedral Parish Office before pre-enrolment can be completed. Submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance.

Required documents

New Zealand Birth Certificate or passport
Passport showing current residency status (if not born in New Zealand)
Preference of Enrolment Certificate from The Cathedral Parish Office (requires a copy of the child's baptism certificate, or a parent's if the child is not baptised)
Immunisation certificate

Preference criteria

The criteria used to grant Preference of Enrolment are set by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference. A child may qualify if:

the child has been baptised or is being prepared for baptism in the Catholic Church
one or more siblings have already been baptised in the Catholic faith
at least one parent or guardian is Catholic and the child's participation may lead to baptism
a grandparent or other significant adult undertakes, with parental agreement, to support the child's formation in the Catholic faith
one or both non-Catholic parents or guardians is preparing to become Catholic

Priority order and roll limits

Once all preference students have been accommodated, non-preference students may be accepted up to 5% of the maximum roll, provided the total roll does not exceed 85% of the maximum roll. Where more applications exist than available places within a priority group, places are allocated by date of pre-enrolment application. Among preference applicants, second priority is given to siblings of current students. The lowest priority is given to non-preference applicants living outside the parish area.

Children are eligible to start school on their fifth birthday. For parish office enquiries, contact The Cathedral Parish Office at 03 379-1068 or office@cathedralparish.nz.

Curriculum

St Mary's School follows the New Zealand Curriculum, which specifies eight learning areas. The school adds Religious Education as a ninth learning area.

English
The arts
Health and physical education
Learning languages
Mathematics and statistics
Science
Social sciences
Technology
Religious Education

Frequently asked

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

St Mary's School (Christchurch) is classified as a Full Primary school serving Years 1–8.

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.

127 students, according to the September 2026 roll data.

It reflects the estimated socio-economic barriers St Mary's School (Christchurch)'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 St Mary's School (Christchurch)'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)	St Mary's School (Christchurch)'s official website	Current	9 October 2026