Last updated October 2026
Otatara School is a state, co-educational primary school for Years 1 to 6 at 146 Dunns Road, Otatara, Invercargill. It opened in 1879 and had 247 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes all of Otatara, and parts of Sandy Point and West Plains; the zone map below shows the full boundary. The school’s website says it uses the local natural environment and local expertise in its teaching, and that it shares its site with Otatara Kindergarten and works closely with the kindergarten and Otatara Preschool.
At a glance
- Principal
- Sharon Livingstone
- Address
- 146 Dunns Road, Otatara, Invercargill
- Phone
- 03 213 1009
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Otatara.
Parts of Sandy Point and West Plains: 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.
Who goes here
Share of the 247 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 April 2024. ERO found that achievement in reading, writing and maths has stayed high over time, with most children at or above expected levels and almost all Pacific learners meeting expectations. It described a positive, inclusive and culturally responsive school, effective governance and leadership, a local curriculum with mātauranga Māori woven through it, and well-targeted support for children with diverse needs.
ERO noted that Māori learners read at higher levels than other learners but do not yet do as well in writing and maths. Agreed next steps are to keep working towards equitable results for Māori learners in those areas, deepen teachers’ knowledge of written language, including spelling and handwriting, and grow children’s confidence and skill in te reo Māori.
Read the ERO reports for Otatara School
Enrolling
Children who live in the home zone have the right to enrol. Out-of-zone places are offered under the school’s enrolment scheme, by ballot when there are more applicants than places.
Schools nearby
Where students go next
Based on home zones around the school’s own address. Families can apply to any school, and your own address decides which zones you are in.
In Otatara
Otatara School is in Otatara. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Otatara guide →Questions parents ask
Is Otatara School zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Otatara and parts of Sandy Point and West Plains.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 6.
How many students go there?
247 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?
412. 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.
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).