Last updated October 2026
Napier Boys’ High School is a state, boys’ secondary school for Years 9 to 13 at 31 Chambers Street, Napier. It opened in 1872 and had 1,280 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes all of Pandora, Te Awa, Marewa, Napier South, Maraenui, Bluff Hill, Hospital Hill and Ahuriri, and parts of Awatoto, Onekawa, Westshore and Meeanee; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
The school’s site describes streamed classes, a Junior Accelerate Programme in which some Year 10 students start NCEA Level 1 courses, and a learning support class taught by specialist teachers. It lists kapa haka, drama productions with Napier Girls’ High School, debating and Super Eight sport, with boarding at Scinde House and an International Department with English language tuition and homestays for international students.
At a glance
- Principal
- Michael Taylor (Acting)
- Address
- 31 Chambers Street, Napier
- Phone
- 06 833 5900
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Marewa, Pandora, Hospital Hill Napier, Maraenui Napier, Ahuriri, Te Awa Napier, Napier South and Bluff Hill.
Parts of Awatoto, Onekawa Napier, Westshore Napier and Meeanee Napier: 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 1,280 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
45 international students
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 November 2025. ERO found that the large majority of students make good progress and gain NCEA qualifications, with most achieving Level 2, in a respectful and settled school where students can follow a broad mix of academic and vocational pathways. It also found that the improvements the school set out to make since its previous review had not yet been reached.
Results remain uneven in NCEA Level 1, Level 3 and University Entrance, where Māori students achieve at lower rates, only a small majority of students attend regularly, and support for students with additional needs needs strengthening. ERO noted a new leadership team that is working more cohesively and a compulsory tikanga course for all Year 9 students.
ERO’s priorities are for the school to set a clear vision and strategic plan after consulting its community, including Māori whānau, lift Māori students’ results in NCEA Level 1, Level 3 and University Entrance, make better use of achievement and wellbeing data, especially in Years 9 and 10, strengthen learning support across the school, and put in place a plan to raise attendance.
ERO also recommended that the Ministry of Education give the school tailored support with strategic planning, data analysis and learning support.
Read the ERO reports for Napier Boys’ High School
Enrolling
Students who live in the home zone have the right to enrol, and the enrolment page notes that the Scinde House hostel lies inside the zone.
Out-of-zone places are offered under the school’s enrolment scheme, with priority for siblings of current and former students, children of former students and children of board employees or members, and by ballot when there are more applicants than places.
Applications are made online through the link on the school’s enrolment page, which also publishes each year’s application, open night and offer dates. Proof of residence is needed for in-zone enrolments.
Schools nearby
In Te Awa Napier
Napier Boys' High School is in Te Awa Napier. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Te Awa Napier guide →Questions parents ask
Is Napier Boys' High School zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Marewa, Pandora, Hospital Hill Napier, Maraenui Napier, Ahuriri, Te Awa Napier, Napier South and Bluff Hill and parts of Awatoto, Onekawa Napier, Westshore Napier and Meeanee Napier.
What years does it teach?
Years 9 to 13.
How many students go there?
1,280 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?
453. 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, 85.3% of its school leavers had NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with 77.8% of all New Zealand school leavers.
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). Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.