Last updated October 2026
Nelson College For Girls is a state, girls’ secondary school for Years 9 to 13 at Trafalgar Street, Nelson. It opened in 1883 and had 956 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
It has no home zone, so any student can apply. The college’s site lists subjects including Te Reo Māori, Japanese and Spanish, visual arts, music, drama and dance, and a Reo Rua pathway for ākonga Māori in the junior years, with te reo, social science and the arts partly taught in te reo Māori.
Girls can board at Clarice Johnstone House (CJ House), international students can board or live in a homestay with ESOL support, and the college’s board also runs a Prep School and the Nelson Young Parents School.
At a glance
- Principal
- Claire O'Fee
- Address
- Trafalgar Street, Nelson
- Phone
- 03 548 3104
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.
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 956 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
39 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 May 2025. ERO found learning outcomes are improving and becoming more equitable: most students gain NCEA Levels 2 and 3, a majority gain Level 1 and University Entrance, a good share earn merit and excellence endorsements, and Māori students achieve on a par with others at NCEA Levels 2 and 3 and University Entrance.
Among junior students, though, only a majority met the NCEA literacy requirements and just over half the numeracy requirements, the school needs better ways to track junior progress, and it does not yet meet the government’s regular attendance target.
ERO noted calm, orderly classrooms, students who feel cared about, tailored support for those who need it, and some Māori-medium learning for junior students arriving from Māori-medium schooling.
The agreed next steps are to lift attendance for the students who most need it, strengthen how the school analyses and reports junior progress and achievement, widen and make more consistent the teaching that meets different learning needs, and embed and evaluate culturally responsive teaching.
Read the ERO reports for Nelson College For Girls
Enrolling
Nelson College For Girls has no home zone, and its site says everyone is welcome to apply. Families enrol with the online enrolment form or a printable form, along with option forms for each year level.
The college publishes its enrolment closing date and welcome day for new students under key dates on its enrolment page each year. Boarding at CJ House and international study have their own application pages.
Schools nearby
In Nelson Central
Nelson College For Girls is in Nelson Central. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Nelson Central guide →Questions parents ask
Is Nelson College For Girls zoned?
No. It has no home zone, so any student can apply to enrol.
What years does it teach?
Years 9 to 13.
How many students go there?
956 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?
442. 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 girls only.
How did its school leavers do in NCEA?
In 2025, 82.2% 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). 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.
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