Stirling School — School Profile

Key facts

School number3836
School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
AuthorityState
GenderCo-Educational
BoardingNo
Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
Established26 January 1879

About Stirling School

Stirling School is a co-educational full primary school located in a rural setting approximately 5 kilometres from Balclutha, in the South Otago region. It serves students from new entrant to Year 8.

The school's stated vision is "self belief and courage builds success", with an emphasis on students respecting themselves, their community, and their environment. The school describes itself as family-oriented and places emphasis on the relationship between whānau, learners, and teachers as central to its approach to teaching and learning.

Stirling School participates in several government-supported initiatives, including the Ka Ora, Ka Ako school lunches programme, the school donations scheme, and the Kickstart Breakfast Club.

School donations

The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".

With an Equity Index of 469, Stirling 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 Stirling School actually sits, not just the number on its own.

OFFICIAL DATA

469

Scale: 344–569

Band: Average (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

Stirling School 469

Student ethnicity

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

European — 46 students (58.2%)
Asian — 11 students (13.9%)
Pacific — 13 students (16.5%)
Māori — 25 students (31.6%)
MELAA — 4 students (5.1%)

Percentages may sum to more than 100% because students can identify with more than one ethnic group.

Location

View larger map on OpenStreetMap

Street address2 Boyd Street
CityStirling
Local authorityClutha District

Official contact details

Nearby schools

Schools physically closest to Stirling School, regardless of year level.

Balclutha School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 3 km
Romahapa School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 12.1 km
Tokoiti School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 19.6 km
Tokomairiro High School Secondary · Years 7–15 · 20.8 km
Lawrence Area School Composite · Years 1–15 · 37.1 km

Explore schools in Stirling

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

Full Primary schools (1) All schools in Stirling →

Enrolment

Stirling School accepts enrolments at any time, though the school requests early notice to allow time to arrange school visits, meet with the child's early childhood education teacher, and plan the transition.

The following documents are required before a child can start:

Completed enrolment form
Copy of the child's birth certificate
Immunisation record
Medical and allergy form

Enquiries can be directed to the school office on 03-418 0540.

Bus zone

The school operates three bus runs — Hillend, Benhar/Kaitangata, and Inch Clutha — at no cost to eligible students. Students must live more than 3.2 km from the school and within the relevant area to qualify for bus transport.

Frequently asked

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

Stirling School is classified as a Full Primary school serving Years 1–8.

It's a state school in the Otago 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.

79 students, according to the September 2026 roll data.

It reflects the estimated socio-economic barriers Stirling School'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 Stirling 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)	Stirling School's official website	Current	12 October 2026