Best schools in Southland (2026)
The top five of 82 schools in each category, with links to the full top 100. Rankings use the Success Index (NZ), built only from official New Zealand data.
Southland has 82 schools educating 16,858 students in 2026: 70 state, 12 state integrated.
The median Equity Index (EQI) across Southland is 455. Ministry of Education measure of socio-economic barriers faced by students; lower means fewer barriers.
Browse every school in Southland →
Best primary schools in Southland
Contributing, full primary, intermediate and composite schools offering Years 1–8.
St Theresa's School (Invercargill)
Invercargill · State integrated contributing · Years 1–6
277 students
Te Anau School
Te Anau · State contributing · Years 1–6
281 students
Waihopai School
Gladstone · State contributing · Years 1–6
354 students
Otatara School
Otatara · State contributing · Years 1–6
247 students
St Thomas School (Winton)
Winton · State integrated full primary · Years 1–8
93 students
Best secondary schools in Southland
Secondary and composite schools offering Years 9–13.
James Hargest College
Invercargill · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
1,887 students
Southland Girls' High School
Georgetown · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
1,076 students
Fiordland College
Te Anau · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
307 students
St Peter's College (Gore)
Gore · State integrated secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
348 students
Central Southland College
Winton · State secondary (year 9-15) · Years 9–13
659 students
Best state schools in Southland
Government schools across all year levels.
Te Anau School
Te Anau · State contributing · Years 1–6
281 students
Waihopai School
Gladstone · State contributing · Years 1–6
354 students
Otatara School
Otatara · State contributing · Years 1–6
247 students
James Hargest College
Invercargill · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
1,887 students
Myross Bush School
Myross Bush · State contributing · Years 1–6
173 students
Best state integrated schools in Southland
State integrated (mostly church-affiliated) schools.
St Theresa's School (Invercargill)
Invercargill · State integrated contributing · Years 1–6
277 students
St Thomas School (Winton)
Winton · State integrated full primary · Years 1–8
93 students
St John's Girls' School (Invercargill)
Invercargill · State integrated full primary · Years 1–8
126 students
St Peter's College (Gore)
Gore · State integrated secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
348 students
St Mary's School (Gore)
Gore · State integrated contributing · Years 1–6
199 students
Best girls' schools in Southland
Single-sex girls' schools.
Best boys' schools in Southland
Single-sex boys' schools.
Best secondary schools by ncea level 2 attainment in Southland
Secondary schools ranked by the percentage of school leavers who left with at least NCEA Level 2 (Ministry of Education), for schools with 30 or more leavers.
St Peter's College (Gore)
Gore · State integrated secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
348 students
Fiordland College
Te Anau · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
307 students
Southland Girls' High School
Georgetown · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
1,076 students
Verdon College
Invercargill · State integrated secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
684 students
James Hargest College
Invercargill · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
1,887 students
Best secondary schools by university entrance in Southland
Secondary schools ranked by the percentage of school leavers who attained the University Entrance award (Ministry of Education).
Southland Girls' High School
Georgetown · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
1,076 students
Verdon College
Invercargill · State integrated secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
684 students
James Hargest College
Invercargill · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
1,887 students
St Peter's College (Gore)
Gore · State integrated secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
348 students
Māruawai College
Gore · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
591 students
Best largest schools in Southland
Schools with the largest rolls.
James Hargest College
Invercargill · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
1,887 students
Southland Boys' High School
Invercargill · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
1,078 students
Southland Girls' High School
Georgetown · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
1,076 students
Verdon College
Invercargill · State integrated secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
684 students
Central Southland College
Winton · State secondary (year 9-15) · Years 9–13
659 students
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best primary school in Southland?
St Theresa's School (Invercargill) in Invercargill ranks first among primary schools in Southland with a Success Index (NZ) of 79.0 out of 100 (Equity Index (EQI): 405).
How are primary schools in Southland ranked?
Each school's Success Index (NZ) combines 5 factors: equity index (fewer barriers is higher) (45%), roll size (10%), roll growth (5 years) (15%), school leavers with ncea level 2+ (20%), school leavers with university entrance (10%). Each factor is a percentile against schools of the same type across New Zealand. Schools with fewer than 60 students are excluded from rankings.
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.