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Thorndon School, Wellington

Full Primary · Years 1–8 · Co-Educational · Thorndon, Wellington

A state primary school located in the Thorndon suburb of Wellington, operating under the Māori name Te Kura o Pipitea. It runs an annual community fair along Tinakori Road that has been held since 1977 and typically attracts more than 20,000 visitors.

Last checked 7 September 2026 · Roll data from August 2026

Jump to: About · Extracurricular · International students

At a glance

TypeFull Primary · Years 1–8
LocationWellington
RegionWellington Region
School number3040
288
Students
as at August 2026
362
Equity Index
Yes
Enrolment scheme
Open
School status

Key facts

  • School number3040
  • School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
  • AuthorityState
  • GenderCo-Educational
  • BoardingNo
  • Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
  • Established17 November 1858
See NZ school term dates & holidays →

About Thorndon School

Thorndon School (Te Kura o Pipitea) is a state primary school located in inner-city Wellington. It is described as the oldest state school in Wellington, founded in April 1852 as St Paul's School in Sydney Street East (now Kate Sheppard Place). In 1873, responsibility for the school was transferred to the newly formed provincial education board, and it was renamed Thorndon School. In 1880 the school moved to its current site in Hobson Crescent, between Hobson and Murphy Streets, where it remains today.

The school describes its community as diverse across cultural, ethnic, socio-economic, and educational lines. It is not a faith-based or Māori-medium school.

The school's inner-city location places it within walking distance of Parliament, the National Library, the City Library, the waterfront, the Michael Fowler Centre, and Te Papa, which the school uses as learning resources. The school also has a stated commitment to the arts, including a programme called Te Whare Pūoro.

Enrolment

Enrolment scheme on record

Thorndon School 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".

With an Equity Index of 362, Thorndon 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 Thorndon School actually sits, not just the number on its own.

OFFICIAL DATA
362
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 463.3
Thorndon School 362

Student ethnicity

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

  • European — 103 students (35.8%)
  • Asian — 162 students (56.3%)
  • Pacific — 26 students (9%)
  • Māori — 24 students (8.3%)
  • MELAA — 22 students (7.6%)
  • Other — 12 students (4.2%)
  • International — 11 students (3.8%)

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

Location

View larger map on OpenStreetMap
  • Street address20 Turnbull Street
  • SuburbThorndon
  • CityWellington
  • Local authorityWellington City

Official contact details

Nearby schools

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

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Co-curricular Groups

Thorndon School offers the following named co-curricular music groups:

  • Junior Choir — open to students in Years 1–3
  • Kōkako Choir — open to students in Years 4–6
  • Kea Choir — open to students in Years 7–8
  • Senior orchestra — open to students in Years 5–8 who have been learning their instrument for at least one year
  • Festival orchestra — open to students in Years 5–8 who have been learning their instrument for two or more years
  • Rock Band — open to students in Years 6–8; all instrumentalists must be able to read music, chords, or tabs fluently

International Students

Thorndon School accepts international students at its Thorndon, central Wellington campus. The school roll sits between 280 and 320 students, with an enrolment scheme in place to manage numbers within that band.

Two fees apply to international students:

Fee Amount (NZD, GST inclusive) Notes
Administration fee $500 Non-refundable
Tuition fee $18,000 per year Payable in advance; any agent fees are additional

The annual tuition fee covers standard classroom tuition and access to specialised English language support delivered by a trained ESOL teacher.

The school requires all international students to live either with a parent or legal guardian (with proof of legal guardianship supplied) or with a designated caregiver chosen by the parents or legal guardians. Accommodation provided by a designated caregiver must be approved by the school under the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students, and an indemnity must be signed granting the caregiver authority.

Frequently asked

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

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

It's a state school in the Wellington 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.

Yes. Thorndon School 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.

288 students, according to the August 2026 roll data.

It reflects the estimated socio-economic barriers Thorndon 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 Thorndon School's own published information, reviewed before publication. Nothing here is inferred or estimated beyond what its source actually states.

DataSourceData periodLast 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) Thorndon School's official website Current 16 September 2026