Aurora College is a state coeducational Year 7–13 secondary school located in Invercargill, New Zealand.
It is New Zealand's southernmost stand-alone secondary school, and second southernmost secondary school after The Catlins Area School in Owaka.
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History
Aurora College opened in 2005, although it has a history extending back to 1912. It was formed from the merger of Mt Anglem College and Tweedsmuir Junior High School, on the former Mt Anglem site. Mt Anglem College had operated for only six years, having opened in 1999 following the merger of Kingswell and Cargill High Schools on the existing Kingswell site. Cargill High School was the successor school to Southland College (formerly Southland Technical College) after the latter site become part of Southland Polytechnic in 1978. Kingswell High School, which was established in 1971, was built to the S68 plan which is characterised by single-storey classroom blocks of concrete block construction, with low-pitched roofs and internal open courtyards.
Enrolment
As of July 2026, Aurora College has roll of 604 students, of which 231 (38.2%) identify as Māori.
As of 2026, the school has an Equity Index of 545, placing it amongst schools whose students have the most socioeconomic barriers to achievement (roughly equivalent to deciles 1 and 2 under the former socio-economic decile system).
Notable staff
Notable staff of Aurora College or its predecessor institutions include:
Jack Alabaster, cricketer and educator
Austin Brookes, mountaineer and educator
William (Bill) James Reed, artist
Notable alumni
People educated at Aurora College or its predecessor institutions include:
Rex Austin, politician
Johnny Checketts, World War II air ace
Simon Culhane, rugby union player
Ruth Dallas, writer and poet
Bill Kini, boxer
Jean McKenzie, diplomat
Trevor Moffitt, artist
Mils Muliaina, rugby union player
Cliff Skeggs, businessman and politician
Jeff Wilson, rugby union player and cricketer