Last updated October 2026
Verdon College is a state-integrated, co-educational secondary school for Years 7 to 13 at Rockdale Road, Invercargill. It opened in 1982 and had 684 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes 44 suburbs in full and parts of 4 more, among them Dacre, Kapuka, Tussock Creek, Kennington, Sandy Point and Awarua; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
Verdon College is a Catholic school shaped by the Marist Brothers and Dominican Sisters, and its religious education programme counts towards NCEA in the senior school. Its website also covers a Gateway workplace programme for senior students, technology, te ao Māori, outdoor education and camps, sport, and performing arts such as drama, choir and debating.
At a glance
- Principal
- Jarlath Kelly
- Address
- Rockdale Road, Invercargill
- Phone
- 03 216 9039
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of West Invercargill, Otatara, Awarua, Seaward Bush, Lorneville, Waverley, Avenal, Tussock Creek near Invercargill, Mill Road, Motu Rimu, Richmond, Kew, Makarewa, Windsor, Dacre near Invercargill, Grasmere, Strathern, Clifton, Hawthorndale, Georgetown Invercargill, Myross Bush Invercargill, Kapuka near Invercargill, Waihopai, Waikiwi, Woodlands near Invercargill, Heidelberg, Kingswell, West Plains, Gladstone, Appleby, Newfield, Tisbury, Rockdale Invercargill, Invercargill Central, Wallacetown near Invercargill, Ascot, Rosedale, Hargest, Glengarry, Kennington, Sandy Point, Prestonville Invercargill, Woodend and Greenhills.
Parts of Omaui, Tiwai Point, Bluff and Ocean Beach: check your street.
Zone boundaries are set by the school’s enrolment scheme and can change. Confirm your address with the school before you rely on it.
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 684 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
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 September 2024. ERO found outcomes are becoming more equitable.
Students make progress in literacy and maths in the junior years, so most who start well behind go on to take national qualifications, and most leave with the qualifications they need for further study, training or work.
Earlier work to re-engage junior boys had paid off, with most attending regularly. Attendance overall is improving but is still below the Ministry of Education’s target.
ERO and the school agreed to keep working on the barriers to attendance, engagement and achievement, including a mentoring programme for students at risk of disengaging, and to keep developing a curriculum that is relevant to students so they see themselves reflected in what they learn.
Read the ERO reports for Verdon College
Enrolling
As a state-integrated Catholic school, Verdon College gives preference to students whose families have a connection to its Catholic special character.
Preference applicants need a form signed by their parish priest, though this does not guarantee a place, and the school has a limited number of non-preference places. Attendance dues, set by the Proprietor, the Catholic Bishop of Dunedin, are a condition of enrolment.
Families ask the college office for a prospectus and enrolment forms. When there are more applicants than places, places go in priority order and a ballot is used where needed, with a waiting list for unsuccessful applicants. The application deadline is published each year in community media and in the prospectus.
Schools nearby
In Rockdale Invercargill
Verdon College is in Rockdale Invercargill. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Rockdale Invercargill guide →Questions parents ask
Is Verdon College zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of West Invercargill, Otatara, Awarua, Seaward Bush, Lorneville, Waverley, Avenal, Tussock Creek near Invercargill, Mill Road, Motu Rimu, Richmond, Kew, Makarewa, Windsor, Dacre near Invercargill, Grasmere, Strathern, Clifton, Hawthorndale, Georgetown Invercargill, Myross Bush Invercargill, Kapuka near Invercargill, Waihopai, Waikiwi, Woodlands near Invercargill, Heidelberg, Kingswell, West Plains, Gladstone, Appleby, Newfield, Tisbury, Rockdale Invercargill, Invercargill Central, Wallacetown near Invercargill, Ascot, Rosedale, Hargest, Glengarry, Kennington, Sandy Point, Prestonville Invercargill, Woodend and Greenhills and parts of Omaui, Tiwai Point, Bluff and Ocean Beach.
What years does it teach?
Years 7 to 13.
How many students go there?
684 at 1 Sep 2026.
Does it ask for donations?
No. It is in the donation scheme, so it only asks for donations for school camps.
What is its Equity Index?
464. 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.
How did its school leavers do in NCEA?
In 2025, 88.5% of its school leavers had NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with 77.8% of all New Zealand school leavers.
Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Sources and data notes 1
- School facts: School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 22 Oct 2026 (CC BY 4.0). Home zone: Ministry of Education enrolment zones (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).