Last updated October 2026
Southland Boys’ High School is a state, boys’ secondary school for Years 7 to 13 at 181 Herbert Street, Invercargill. It opened in 1881 and had 1,078 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes parts of Gladstone; the zone map below shows the full boundary. Boys can board at the school’s Coldstream Hostel, and the website describes a house system, careers advice, learning support and a study hub.
In the junior years literacy and numeracy are built into every class, and senior students choose subject pathways aimed at university, an apprenticeship or work.
At a glance
- Principal
- Ray Laurenson
- Address
- 181 Herbert Street, Invercargill
- Phone
- 03 211 3003
Home zone
Parts of these suburbs: Gladstone: 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 1,078 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 the school had made strong progress in building collaborative teaching, with junior students now more engaged, attending better and mostly gaining the school’s own junior certificate. Most students gain NCEA Levels 1 and 2, and a growing share reach Level 3, University Entrance and endorsements.
Results for Māori students are equitable at some NCEA levels but not yet at Level 2 or University Entrance, and attendance, while improving, is still below the Ministry of Education’s target. Students told ERO they feel a strong sense of belonging, and links with employers and training providers support their next steps.
ERO and the school agreed that the next steps are a school-wide literacy and numeracy strategy to lift results in the NCEA literacy and numeracy requirements, better tracking of progress so students who need help are found early, and teaching that is relationship-based and inclusive, to lift attendance and engagement.
Read the ERO reports for Southland Boys’ High School
Enrolling
Students who live in the home zone are entitled to enrol at any time. Families apply through the school’s online enrolment portal, starting with a first-stage application form that needs supporting documents attached before it is complete.
Out-of-zone places are offered under the enrolment scheme. The board decides each year how many places are likely to be available, and a ballot is held when there are more applicants than places, with siblings of current and former students given priority. The school publishes its enrolment dates and out-of-zone availability on its enrolment page each year.
Schools nearby
In Gladstone
Southland Boys' High School is in Gladstone. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Gladstone guide →Questions parents ask
Is Southland Boys' High School zoned?
It has a home zone covering parts of Gladstone.
What years does it teach?
Years 7 to 13.
How many students go there?
1,078 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?
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.
Is it a single-sex school?
Yes. It takes boys only.
How did its school leavers do in NCEA?
In 2025, 79.6% 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).