The population expansion for the region, although positive, means local high schools must either keep up with the demand of high pupil numbers or cap their rolls.
"We’ve had a lot of kids come this year and it’s probably due to those who’ve moved here from outside of Invercargill; so our roll went from early 600s to the end of last year to mid 600s this year," Aurora College principal Craig Taylor said.
He was delighted by the increase in pupil numbers but at the same time the school had to cap their rolls for years 7, 9 and 10 due to staff availability.
The James Hargest College roll rose from 1900 last year to 1942 this year, which principal Mike Newell attributed to "an increase of more people moving into the city".
"We don’t cap our numbers but we do have to restrict how many students can attend our school," Mr Newell said.
Everyone is entitled to come here but we have to meet the Ministry of Education rules around funding — they won’t provide you with finances for things like buildings unless you accept in-zone students first."
Last year, James Hargest added another year 11 class because of the increase in pupil numbers.
A Southland Boys’ High School spokesperson said its roll stood at 1053 rangatahi.
- By Nina Tapu
