Last updated October 2026
Otago Boys’ High School is a state, boys’ secondary school for Years 9 to 13 at 2 Arthur Street, Dunedin. It opened in 1863 and had 853 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
It has no home zone, so any student can apply. Its site describes School House, the school’s boarding hostel, an outdoor education lodge in the Matukituki Valley beside Mt Aspiring National Park used for Year 10 camps, and senior pathways including Gateway and the Trades Academy. It also lists te reo Māori and tikanga from Year 9 to Year 13, a kapa haka group shared with Otago Girls’ High School, learning support, sport and the arts, and an international programme with ESOL and boarding or homestay options.
At a glance
- Principal
- Richard Hall
- Address
- 2 Arthur Street, Dunedin
- Phone
- 03 477 5527
Home zone
No home zone: any student can apply to enrol. If more students apply than there are places, the school decides how places are offered.
NCEA results
School leavers with NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with all New Zealand school leavers.
This school New Zealand
School leavers are students who left school that year, whatever year level they left from.
Who goes here
Share of the 853 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
23 international students
MELAA: Middle Eastern, Latin American and African.
Stand-downs and suspensions
Cases per 1,000 students in 2025, adjusted for the ages of the school’s students, compared with all New Zealand schools.
Suspensions: fewer than 5 cases in 2025, so no rate is shown.
These measure how a school responds to behaviour, and schools set their own thresholds, so they are not a measure of how students behave.
What ERO found
The Education Review Office’s latest report on the school is a School Evaluation Report from October 2025. ERO found outcomes for students increasingly equitable.
Junior results in literacy and mathematics were improving, most students had met the NCEA literacy and numeracy co-requisites before finishing Year 10, and most Year 11 to 13 students did very well in NCEA and University Entrance, with Māori students achieving at a similar level to other groups.
ERO noted that the school is still working towards equitable outcomes for Pacific students and that only a small majority of students attend regularly, below the Government’s target, although attendance is improving. It also noted settled classrooms, a clear junior curriculum and a pastoral team that responds quickly to concerns.
ERO’s priorities are to embed evidence-based teaching to lift engagement, build literacy and mathematics into every subject, and improve regular attendance, with leaders and teachers reviewing attendance data and the support in place for students whose attendance needs to improve.
Read the ERO reports for Otago Boys’ High School
Enrolling
Otago Boys’ High School has no home zone, so boys from anywhere in Dunedin or further afield can apply. Families enrol online, then are invited to meet the Rector to talk about subjects, uniform and activities.
Boarding places use the same enrolment form, with interviews in the year before a boy starts Year 9 and a hostel open day each year. The school publishes its closing dates for day and boarding enrolments on its enrolment page.
Schools nearby
In Dunedin City Centre
Otago Boys' High School is in Dunedin City Centre. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Questions parents ask
Is Otago Boys' High School zoned?
No. It has no home zone, so any student can apply to enrol.
What years does it teach?
Years 9 to 13.
How many students go there?
853 at 1 Sep 2026.
Does it ask for donations?
It may. It is not in the donation scheme, so it can ask families for donations.
What is its Equity Index?
432. The Ministry of Education’s Equity Index estimates the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, from 344 (fewest) to 569 (most). It is used to share out funding, not as a measure of quality.
Is it a single-sex school?
Yes. It takes boys only.
How did its school leavers do in NCEA?
In 2025, 86.8% of its school leavers had NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with 77.8% of all New Zealand school leavers.
School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 25 Oct 2026 (CC BY 4.0). NCEA results, roll history and stand-downs: Education Counts, school leavers 2023 to 2025, stand-downs 2025, rolls 2021 to 2025 (CC BY 4.0). Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.
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