Largest Schools in Invercargill City (2026)
Schools with the largest rolls. Ranked by the Success Index (NZ) from official New Zealand data; 27 schools in Invercargill City, Southland. Rank positions shown on each profile are within New Zealand and Southland.
- 166James Hargest CollegeInvercargill · State Secondary (Year 7-15)Roll: 1,887
- 254Southland Boys' High SchoolInvercargill · State Secondary (Year 7-15)Roll: 1,078
- 364Southland Girls' High SchoolGeorgetown · State Secondary (Year 7-15)Roll: 1,076
- 453Verdon CollegeInvercargill · State integrated Secondary (Year 7-15)Roll: 684
- 518Aurora CollegeInvercargill · State Secondary (Year 7-15)Roll: 579
- 645Donovan Primary SchoolWaikiwi · State ContributingRoll: 378
- 768Waihopai SchoolGladstone · State ContributingRoll: 354
- 864Windsor North SchoolWindsor · State ContributingRoll: 326
- 942St Patrick's School (Invercargill)Georgetown · State integrated ContributingRoll: 282
- 1079St Theresa's School (Invercargill)Invercargill · State integrated ContributingRoll: 277
- 1130Fernworth Primary SchoolStrathern · State ContributingRoll: 266
- 1232Waverley Park SchoolGlengarry · State ContributingRoll: 263
- 1363Salford SchoolHargest · State ContributingRoll: 250
- 1467Otatara SchoolOtatara · State ContributingRoll: 247
- 1525Ascot Community SchoolHawthorndale · State Full PrimaryRoll: 237
- 1632New River PrimaryKew · State ContributingRoll: 229
- 1728Newfield Park SchoolNewfield · State ContributingRoll: 223
- 1823Te Wharekura o ArowhenuaInvercargill · State CompositeRoll: 192
- 1965Myross Bush SchoolMyross Bush · State ContributingRoll: 173
- 2059Makarewa SchoolMakarewa · State ContributingRoll: 155
- 2134Invercargill Middle SchoolInvercargill · State ContributingRoll: 155
- 2247St Joseph's School (Invercargill)Invercargill · State integrated Full PrimaryRoll: 153
- 2358Southland Adventist Christian SchoolWaikiwi · State integrated Full PrimaryRoll: 129
- 2463St John's Girls' School (Invercargill)Invercargill · State integrated Full PrimaryRoll: 126
- 2540Tisbury SchoolInvercargill · State ContributingRoll: 126
- 2625Bluff SchoolBluff · State Full PrimaryRoll: 115
- 2757Sacred Heart School (Waikiwi)Waikiwi · State integrated ContributingRoll: 87
| # | School | Sector | Roll | Success Index (NZ) | Equity Index (EQI) | Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Hargest College Invercargill · Secondary (Year 7-15) · Years 7–13 | State | 1,887 | 66.0 Top 50% | 445 | 1,887 |
| 2 | Southland Boys' High School Invercargill · Secondary (Year 7-15) · Years 7–13 | State | 1,078 | 53.7 Top 50% | 464 | 1,078 |
| 3 | Southland Girls' High School Georgetown · Secondary (Year 7-15) · Years 7–13 | State | 1,076 | 64.3 Top 50% | 463 | 1,076 |
| 4 | Verdon College Invercargill · Secondary (Year 7-15) · Years 7–13 | State integrated | 684 | 53.4 Top 50% | 464 | 684 |
| 5 | Aurora College Invercargill · Secondary (Year 7-15) · Years 7–13 | State | 579 | 18.4 Lower 50% | 545 | 579 |
| 6 | Donovan Primary School Waikiwi · Contributing · Years 1–6 | State | 378 | 45.1 Lower 50% | 464 | 378 |
| 7 | Waihopai School Gladstone · Contributing · Years 1–6 | State | 354 | 68.1 Top 25% | 428 | 354 |
| 8 | Windsor North School Windsor · Contributing · Years 1–6 | State | 326 | 63.5 Top 50% | 422 | 326 |
| 9 | St Patrick's School (Invercargill) Georgetown · Contributing · Years 1–6 | State integrated | 282 | 41.7 Lower 50% | 468 | 282 |
| 10 | St Theresa's School (Invercargill) Invercargill · Contributing · Years 1–6 | State integrated | 277 | 79.0 Top 10% | 405 | 277 |
| 11 | Fernworth Primary School Strathern · Contributing · Years 1–6 | State | 266 | 30.1 Lower 50% | 535 | 266 |
| 12 | Waverley Park School Glengarry · Contributing · Years 1–6 | State | 263 | 31.5 Lower 50% | 495 | 263 |
| 13 | Salford School Hargest · Contributing · Years 1–6 | State | 250 | 62.8 Top 50% | 422 | 250 |
| 14 | Otatara School Otatara · Contributing · Years 1–6 | State | 247 | 66.5 Top 50% | 412 | 247 |
| 15 | Ascot Community School Hawthorndale · Full Primary · Years 1–8 | State | 237 | 25.1 Lower 50% | 516 | 237 |
| 16 | New River Primary Kew · Contributing · Years 1–6 | State | 229 | 31.9 Lower 50% | 522 | 229 |
| 17 | Newfield Park School Newfield · Contributing · Years 1–6 | State | 223 | 27.8 Lower 50% | 506 | 223 |
| 18 | Te Wharekura o Arowhenua Invercargill · Composite · Years 1–13 | State | 192 | 22.9 Lower 50% | 536 | 192 |
| 19 | Myross Bush School Myross Bush · Contributing · Years 1–6 | State | 173 | 65.1 Top 50% | 414 | 173 |
| 20 | Makarewa School Makarewa · Contributing · Years 1–6 | State | 155 | 59.1 Top 50% | 440 | 155 |
| 21 | Invercargill Middle School Invercargill · Contributing · Years 1–6 | State | 155 | 34.2 Lower 50% | 484 | 155 |
| 22 | St Joseph's School (Invercargill) Invercargill · Full Primary · Years 1–8 | State integrated | 153 | 47.4 Lower 50% | 465 | 153 |
| 23 | Southland Adventist Christian School Waikiwi · Full Primary · Years 1–8 | State integrated | 129 | 58.2 Top 50% | 439 | 129 |
| 24 | St John's Girls' School (Invercargill) Invercargill · Full Primary · Years 1–8 | State integrated | 126 | 63.0 Top 50% | 417 | 126 |
| 25 | Tisbury School Invercargill · Contributing · Years 1–6 | State | 126 | 40.2 Lower 50% | 467 | 126 |
| 26 | Bluff School Bluff · Full Primary · Years 1–8 | State | 115 | 24.5 Lower 50% | 511 | 115 |
| 27 | Sacred Heart School (Waikiwi) Waikiwi · Contributing · Years 1–6 | State integrated | 87 | 56.7 Top 50% | 430 | 87 |
James Hargest College in Invercargill leads the 2026 list of largest schools in Invercargill City with Roll 1,887. Of the 27 schools shown, 20 are state, 7 are state integrated.
For the full picture see the wider Southland largest schools rankings, every school on the Invercargill City page, or the comparison tool to put a shortlist side by side.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best largest school in Invercargill City?
James Hargest College in Invercargill, Southland ranks first among largest schools in Invercargill City with Roll 1,887 (Equity Index (EQI): 445).
How are largest schools in Invercargill City ranked?
Schools with the largest rolls. Only schools eligible for the Success Index (NZ) are included; the index is shown alongside for context.
Are these 2026 rankings official?
No. They are computed by Success Tutoring from official New Zealand data (Ministry of Education – Schools Directory; Ministry of Education – School leaver attainment (Find a school)). The Equity Index describes the student community, not teaching quality.