Otago Boys' High School
2 Arthur Street, Dunedin · Otago & Southland
Composite score
Established
Above median
Rank #835 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Otago Boys' High School is implementing a curriculum review to enhance student engagement and success, with strategic priorities including responsive and innovative curriculum design, meeting aspirational needs of Māori and Pasifika students, and strengthening literacy and numeracy. The school demonstrates strong pedagogical knowledge of boys' education and a commitment to ongoing improvement. ERO and the school are evaluating the impact of a student-centred curriculum on building engagement with learning.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Dunedin looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is Otago Boys' High School a good school?
Otago Boys' High School scores 74/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Above median nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- A strong pedagogical knowledge of boy's education
- A passion for the personal and academic development of boys
- A tradition of ongoing improvement
Summary derived from ERO reports + audited financials + MoE records. Every claim links to its source — see data transparency at the bottom of this page.
Score breakdown
6 axes, each scored 0–100 on a national absolute scale. As at 2025.
L1 90% · L2 84% · UE 67% · near band median (n=81) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 35% · Te Pūkenga 15% · Industry 9% · top quartile of band (n=77) · why? ▼ hide
85% to Y13 · below band median (n=84) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 24.7/1k · suspensions 3.7/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · below band median (n=518) · why? ▼ hide
+7.7% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · above band median (n=515) · why? ▼ hide
85/100 from ERO review 2023-08 · top quartile of band (n=520) · why? ▼ hide
⚠ Insufficient EQI-band peers (n<10) to compute per-axis percentile context. The score above is absolute; treat it as a single-school read rather than a peer comparison.
Real ERO composite (from the latest review): 85/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-08-09 · Shelley Booysen, ERO
- School is implementing a curriculum review to enhance student engagement and success
- Strategic priorities focus on creating a responsive and innovative curriculum, meeting aspirational needs of all students particularly Māori and Pasifika, and focusing on literacy and numeracy
- ERO and school are evaluating the impact of a student centred curriculum on building engagement with learning
- School has high levels of confidence and support for leadership from the community and Board
"high levels of confidence and support for school leadership from the community and Board"
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2019–2023. Click a point to read that review.
Trajectory across review cycles
Year-over-year change per dimension based on consecutive ERO reviews.
Audited financials
Year ended 2024 · Audit opinion: n/a
Total revenue
$13.96M
Surplus / (deficit)
+$309k
Net assets / equity
$6.28M
2 years of audited data on file · View full history (Pro)
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
89.6%
146 of 163 leavers
-6.1pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
84.0%
137 of 163 leavers
-6.1pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
66.9%
109 of 163 leavers
+7.3pt vs prior year
Data: Ministry of Education / Education Counts, CC-BY-4.0
Stay-on rate
Percentage of students who stay at school until at least their 17th birthday — the standard NZ proxy for Year-9-to-Year-13 retention.
84.7%
2024 cohort · 163 students
-4.7pt vs 2023
Discipline (age-standardised, per 1,000 students)
Stand-down = sent home temporarily. Suspension = formal investigation. Exclusion = removed from school. National averages shown for comparison.
Stand-downs · 2024
24.7
33 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
3.7
6 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
0.0
· NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Service Industries 16
- Primary Industries 8
- Creative Industries 4
- Manufacturing and Technology 1
- Construction and Infrastructure 1
Government funding
Crown funding only (school operations + teacher salaries + property). Excludes locally-raised funds, international fees and trading income — those are in the audited financial report above.
Total Crown funding · 2022
$7.83M
Per-student funding · 2022
$9,249
2018
$5.9M
2019
$7.4M
2020
$7.3M
2021
$7.4M
2022
$7.8M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 09 164
- Year 10 187
- Year 11 173
- Year 12 189
- Year 13+ 141
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 76.4%
- Māori 15.4%
- Asian 12.6%
- Pacific 8.9%
- Other / MELAA 4.7%
- International 2.6%
International students
SIEBA member · Boarding available
ESOL support
partial
Location
2 Arthur Street, Dunedin. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Otago Boys' High School.
London House Learning Centre
Activity Centre · 0.1km · roll n/a
87
+13 vs this
Arthur Street School
Full Primary · 0.2km · 217 roll
64
-10 vs this
Trinity Catholic College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 0.3km · 791 roll
77
+3 vs this
St Joseph's Cathedral School
Contributing · 0.6km · 160 roll
77
+3 vs this
Otago Girls' High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 0.6km · 698 roll
77
+3 vs this
Kaikorai School
Contributing · 0.7km · 320 roll
46
-28 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Otago Boys' High School a good school?
Otago Boys' High School scores 74/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Above median nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2023-08 review identified 4 key findings. School is implementing a curriculum review to enhance student engagement and success
How do I enrol my child at Otago Boys' High School?
Contact the school directly on 03-4775527, email school.sec@obhs.school.nz, or visit www.obhs.school.nz. For state schools, check your home address against the school's enrolment zone — some schools are in-zone-only.
What are the fees?
Otago Boys' High School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Otago Boys' High School has 846 students, with an EQI of 432 (mid-range socio-economic context). It is a boys school-only school.
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Otago Boys' High School in 2023-08, signed by Shelley Booysen. 5 ERO reports are on file in our archive.
Data transparency
Every fact on this page links to its source. We never publish a claim without provenance — read our methodology for the full rules.
Sourced from
- ero.govt.nz
- obhs.school.nz
- sieba.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz