Key facts
- School number4136
- School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
- AuthorityPrivate : Fully Registered
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established17 November 1858
About St Michael's Church School
St Michael's Church School is an independent Anglican church school located in central Christchurch. The school has operated for over 170 years and describes itself as a Christian community. It functions as a preparatory school, covering Years 0–8.
Christian faith is central to school life, expressed through daily services, assemblies, and Religious Education lessons. The school's stated values — faith, hope, love, respect, and community — are grounded in Anglican tradition and shape expectations for pupils, staff, and parents alike.
As an independent school, St Michael's operates within the New Zealand Curriculum but exercises discretion to extend or adapt its teaching programmes. Class sizes in Years 1–6 are capped at 20 pupils. Mathematics is streamed from Year 4. The school places particular emphasis on English and Mathematics as foundational to broader learning across Science, History, Geography, Religious Education, and Languages.
The school's city-centre location gives pupils direct access to institutions including the Christchurch Art Gallery and Tūranga (the Central Library), which are incorporated into the cultural curriculum. A Years 7 & 8 programme called Parare, established in 2019, combines Physical Education, Sport and Outdoor Education, Art and Technology, Financial Literacy, Civics and Citizenship, and Leadership.
The school has a long-standing tradition of choral music and maintains two formal choirs — one secular and one church — alongside a Stage Band and Orchestra. Itinerant music tuition is available on site and is taken up by more than half of the school's pupils.
Enrolment
No enrolment scheme listedNo enrolment scheme is currently listed for St Michael's Church School in the available Ministry of Education data. Check the current Ministry of Education information or contact the school for the latest enrolment arrangements.
Student ethnicity
The Ministry publishes this as a raw table — here it's visualised directly against St Michael's Church School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 84 students (65.1%)
- Asian — 56 students (43.4%)
- Māori — 8 students (6.2%)
- MELAA — 5 students (3.9%)
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.
-
Catholic Cathedral College Secondary · Years 7–15 · 1.1 km
-
Te Aratai College Secondary · Years 7–15 · 2.8 km
-
Te Kura Tuarua o Horomaka Hillmorton High School Secondary · Years 7–15 · 4.1 km
-
Te Puna Wai o Waipapa - Hagley College Secondary · Years 9–15 · 856 m
-
Cashmere High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 3.4 km
-
Riccarton High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 5.4 km
Location
- Street address249 Durham Street
- SuburbChristchurch Central
- CityChristchurch
- Local authorityChristchurch City
Official contact details
- ContactElizabeth Coster
- Phone+64 3 379 9790
- Emailprincipal@saintmichaels.co.nz
- Websitewww.saintmichaels.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to St Michael's Church School, regardless of year level.
-
The Cathedral Grammar School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 831 m
-
Te Puna Wai o Waipapa - Hagley College Secondary · Years 9–15 · 856 m
-
Catholic Cathedral College Secondary · Years 7–15 · 1.1 km
-
St Mary's School (Christchurch) Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 1.4 km
-
Selwyn House School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 2.2 km
Explore schools in Christchurch
Browse Christchurch schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Co-curricular Activities
The following named sports, outdoor education activities and events are offered at St Michael's Church School.
- Swimming championships — school-level competition, with top performers selected for the Independent Schools' Zone championships
- Cross-country championships — school-level competition feeding into Independent Schools' Zone selection
- Athletics championships — school-level competition feeding into Independent Schools' Zone selection
- Winter tournament
- Gymnastics events
- Independent Schools' Ski Racing — a slalom event held at Porters Heights
- Beach Ed
- Surf Safe
- First Aid
- Orienteering
- Sailing
- Tough Kids' Challenge
- Climbing — at Orton Bradley Park
- Biking — at Orton Bradley Park
- High and Low Ropes — at Orton Bradley Park
- Cycle Safe programme — a Christchurch City Council programme for Year 6 pupils covering road rules and practical riding around Hagley Park
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from St Michael's Church 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 St Michael's Church 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) | St Michael's Church School's official website | Current | 1 October 2026 |