Key facts
- School number3847
- School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established18 June 1883
About Totara School
Totara School is a state primary and intermediate school catering for students in Years 1 to 8. It is located approximately a five-minute drive from Oamaru, drawing students from the surrounding rural area as well as from the township itself.
The school describes itself as a small community with a family-like atmosphere. It provides a bus service for students within its school area, which also connects with an after-school OSCAR programme.
The school's values framework, known as RICH Choices, centres on four principles: Respectful, Inclusive, Caring, and Honest. Each value is associated with a colour and a native animal, and each of the school's three classrooms acts as kaitiaki for one of the values — the junior room (Kowhai) for Caring, the middle room (Kikorangi) for Inclusive, and the senior room (Kakariki) for Respectful. The associated signage was designed in 2018 by two senior students.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
With an Equity Index of 450, Totara 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 Totara 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 Totara School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 18 students (94.7%)
- Asian — 1 students (5.3%)
- Māori — 2 students (10.5%)
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.
-
Waitaki Girls' High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 7 km
-
Waitaki Boys' High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 9 km
-
St Kevins College (Oamaru) Secondary · Years 9–15 · 9.1 km
Location
- Street address633 Fortification Road
- CityAlma
- Local authorityWaitaki District
Official contact details
- ContactMatthew Hannagan
- Phone+64 3 434 5940
- Emailoffice@totara.school.nz
- Websitewww.totara.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Totara School, regardless of year level.
-
Waitaki Girls' High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 7 km
-
Pembroke School (Oamaru) Contributing · Years 1–6 · 8.2 km
-
Ardgowan School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 8.5 km
-
Waitaki Boys' High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 9 km
-
St Kevins College (Oamaru) Secondary · Years 9–15 · 9.1 km
Explore schools in Alma
Browse Alma schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Enrolment
Totara School asks prospective families to contact a staff member named Aimee during school hours to arrange a visit or discuss enrolment. An online enrolment form is available on the school's website.
The school runs monthly activity afternoons for preschool-aged visitors to meet the junior class, and holds RICH afternoons five Fridays per term, which are also open to prospective families.
No enrolment zone boundaries, priority criteria, or required documents are described in the school's published enrolment information.
Curriculum
Totara School's curriculum is described as developing skills across literacy, numeracy, sciences, health, and arts. The school frames its curriculum around four learner dispositions: communicator, investigator, contributor, and innovator.
The school's curriculum page does not specify year levels, NCEA levels, or any bilingual, Rumaki, or alternative education designation.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Totara 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 Totara 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) | Totara School's official website | Current | 4 October 2026 |