Last updated November 2026
St Joseph’s School is a state-integrated, co-educational full primary school for Years 1 to 8 at 50 Kelvin Street, Timaru. It opened in 1939 and had 217 students on its roll at 1 October 2026.
Its home zone includes 25 suburbs in full and parts of 5 more, among them Southburn, Hadlow, Claremont, Salisbury, Fairview and Normanby; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
At a glance
- Principal
- Amanda O'Brien
- Address
- 50 Kelvin Street, Timaru
- Phone
- 03 688 1376
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Highfield Timaru, Pareora West, Otipua Creek, Southburn near Timaru, Timaru Central, Salisbury, Fairview, Adair, Watlington Timaru, Gleniti Timaru, Marchwiel Timaru, Rosewill, Glenwood, Oceanview, Seaview Timaru, Washdyke Flat, Hadlow, Claremont, West End, Saint Andrews near Timaru, Washdyke Timaru, Pareora, Normanby, Waimataitai Timaru, Redruth Timaru, Kensington Timaru, Maori Hill, Parkside Timaru and Smithfield.
Parts of Levels, Otaio near Timaru, Seadown, Taiko, Levels Valley and Kerrytown: 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 217 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 November 2025. ERO found high quality, consistent teaching, with structured literacy and maths now in place and most students meeting or exceeding the expected curriculum level in reading, writing and maths.
Results are equal across groups of students, and the school is meeting the Government’s 2030 targets in all three areas.
Students are supported in a caring environment shaped by the school’s faith, and leaders and teachers work closely with parents and the community.
Only a small majority of students attend regularly, attendance is not yet improving, and the school did not yet have a suitable attendance plan. During the review ERO also found the board lacked documented evidence of workforce safety checks, which it has since addressed.
The key priorities are to embed consistent teaching, learning and assessment in line with the revised literacy and maths curriculums, strengthen how the school tracks and reports progress against its achievement targets, bring in its refreshed school values, and raise regular attendance to meet the Government target.
Read the ERO reports for St Joseph’s School (Timaru)
Enrolling
St Joseph’s is a state-integrated Catholic school with an enrolment scheme. Contact the school for its enrolment requirements, including how its home zone applies.
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 Marchwiel Timaru
St Joseph's School (Timaru) is in Marchwiel Timaru. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Marchwiel Timaru guide →Questions parents ask
Is St Joseph's School (Timaru) zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Highfield Timaru, Pareora West, Otipua Creek, Southburn near Timaru, Timaru Central, Salisbury, Fairview, Adair, Watlington Timaru, Gleniti Timaru, Marchwiel Timaru, Rosewill, Glenwood, Oceanview, Seaview Timaru, Washdyke Flat, Hadlow, Claremont, West End, Saint Andrews near Timaru, Washdyke Timaru, Pareora, Normanby, Waimataitai Timaru, Redruth Timaru, Kensington Timaru, Maori Hill, Parkside Timaru and Smithfield and parts of Levels, Otaio near Timaru, Seadown, Taiko, Levels Valley and Kerrytown.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 8.
How many students go there?
217 at 1 Oct 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?
403. 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, 7 Nov 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).