Last updated October 2026
St Theresa’s School is a state-integrated, co-educational primary school for Years 1 to 6 at 161 King Street, Invercargill. It opened in 1931 and had 277 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
It has no home zone, so any student can apply. Its website describes a Catholic special character drawn from Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and the Dominican tradition, with prayer in English and te reo Māori, class and school Masses and a sacramental programme. Every child belongs to a whānau group named after a saint.
At a glance
- Principal
- Julian Ineson
- Address
- 161 King Street, Invercargill
- Phone
- 03 217 6502
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.
Who goes here
Share of the 277 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.
What ERO found
The Education Review Office’s latest report on the school is a School Report from October 2025. ERO found high-quality teaching that is lifting progress, with most students meeting or exceeding the expected curriculum level in reading and a large majority in writing and maths.
Reading and maths results are equitable across groups and writing results are becoming more so, and the school has made strong gains for learners most at risk of not achieving.
ERO noted rich learning across the curriculum, good support for learners with complex needs and for the growing number of English language learners, structured literacy well established in the junior school, shared leadership with a collaborative staff culture, and close links with the parish and community.
A large majority of students attend regularly, and the school is close to the government’s 80% regular attendance target, with a suitable plan in place and chronic absence falling.
ERO’s key priorities for the school are to lift writing achievement for boys, embed structured approaches to literacy and maths so teaching is consistent across the school, make stronger use of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori, and raise regular attendance for all students.
Read the ERO reports for St Theresa’s School (Invercargill)
Enrolling
St Theresa’s School is a state-integrated Catholic school with no home zone. Its website says most places go to preference students with a Catholic connection, who meet a parish priest as part of enrolling, and that a small share of places is available to non-preference families, who must accept the school’s special character and take part in its programme.
Siblings of non-preference students and children of staff and board members get priority for those places, and a waiting list is kept when none are free.
Compulsory attendance dues set by the Proprietor apply. Families start with the online enrolment form, then collect an enrolment pack and meet the principal.
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 Windsor
St Theresa's School (Invercargill) is in Windsor. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Windsor guide →Questions parents ask
Is St Theresa's School (Invercargill) zoned?
No. It has no home zone, so any student can apply to enrol.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 6.
How many students go there?
277 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?
405. 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.
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Sources and data notes 1
- School facts: School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 22 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).