Key facts
- School number3037
- School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established17 November 1858
About Te Aro School
Te Aro School is a full primary school catering for students in Years 0–8, located at 360 The Terrace in central Wellington, between Victoria University of Wellington and the Cuba Street and Aro Valley communities. The school roll is approximately 220 students, drawn from more than 30 different cultural backgrounds.
The school opened in 1854, making it one of New Zealand's oldest primary schools, though not the oldest in Wellington — Thorndon School predates it by two years.
Te Aro School is a state, non-faith-based school. Its four stated values are whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, ako, and kaitiakitanga. The school places emphasis on literacy and numeracy, collaborative learning, commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and engagement with Te Ao Māori. A stated long-term aspiration is the normalisation of te reo Māori within the school and its wider community.
Teaching is structured around a partnership between whānau, students, and teachers, with collaborative team teaching used across the school.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
With an Equity Index of 398, Te Aro School is below the 432 threshold newly required to opt into the donations scheme, though a school already receiving this funding from an earlier year may continue to do so. Outside the scheme, a school can still ask families for donations, but cannot compel or enforce payment.
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 Te Aro 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 Te Aro School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 103 students (46.2%)
- Asian — 94 students (42.2%)
- Pacific — 11 students (4.9%)
- Māori — 15 students (6.7%)
- MELAA — 30 students (13.5%)
- Other — 5 students (2.2%)
- International — 2 students (0.9%)
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.
-
South Wellington Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 2.9 km
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Evans Bay Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 3.4 km
-
Tawa Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 15.3 km
-
Wainuiomata High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 14.7 km
Location
- Street address360 The Terrace
- SuburbTe Aro
- CityWellington
- Local authorityWellington City
Official contact details
- ContactSue Clement
- Phone+64 4 384 2860
- Emailoffice@tearo.school.nz
- Websitewww.tearo.school.nz/
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Te Aro School, regardless of year level.
-
Kelburn Normal School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 923 m
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Mt Cook School (Wellington) Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 925 m
-
Clifton Terrace Model School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 1.2 km
-
Clyde Quay School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 1.3 km
-
St Mark's Church School (Mt Victoria) Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 1.3 km
Explore schools in Wellington
Browse Wellington schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Enrolment
Te Aro School asks families to visit the school before enrolling. Visits can be arranged by emailing office@tearo.school.nz. An enrolment pack is available to collect in person or can be sent on request. Families enrolling a new entrant will also have their child attend school visits in the new entrant class before their start date, along with a meeting with the principal.
To complete enrolment, families must meet with the principal and submit an enrolment form accompanied by the following documents:
- Proof of address
- Original birth certificate or passport (to be copied)
- Child's immunisation record
- Copy of a parent's Student or Work Visa, if applicable
No enrolment zone boundaries or priority criteria are stated in the school's published enrolment information.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Te Aro 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 Te Aro 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) | Te Aro School's official website | Current | 15 October 2026 |