Aorangi School's board has promised a legal fight over Education Minister Anne Tolley's decision to close the Christchurch school.
"We will certainly be filing at court next week to seek an injunction in respect of a decision and then we will be taking her decision to judicial review," board trustee Andrew Oh said.
Prime Minister John Key attended the school as a youngster.
The Government has cited a falling roll at the decile-three school as a reason for closing it in January.
Mrs Tolley said the decision to close the 90-pupil school was not an easy one.
"But after considering final submissions from the school and from the Ministry of Education, I believe it is the right one," she said yesterday.
Aorangi was a small school that needed major investment in its buildings, the community was served by other nearby schools and it had a falling roll over the last few years, she said.
"I can't justify spending over $2 million on Aorangi's planned replacement building programme, especially in the current economic climate. An independent review by Ernst and Young of the savings associated with the closure has confirmed the costings upon which I've based my decision."
Aorangi School board of trustees chairman Greg Thompson said he was "gutted" by the decision.
He was informed at a meeting with the ministry yesterday and had not had time to inform staff and parents before Mrs Tolley's statement was released to the media.
With the end of the school year less than four weeks away there was not enough time for the students to adequately make the transition to new schools, Mr Thompson said.
The ministry would help Aorangi's current students enrol at new schools and support them through the transition period and into the first term next year, Mrs Tolley said.
A change manager will be appointed to support the school, families and students through all aspects of the closure process.
Maori Party and Te Tai Tonga MP Rahui Katene said Mrs Tolley had presided over a flawed process to close the school.
Throughout the consultation process the community had made it clear it did not want to lose its school.
"Aorangi School is the only school in the whole north east of Christchurch with a bilingual unit. No other community has put up its hand to take on this unit. What does the minister think is going to happen to those children now?"
