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New Zealand, Dunedin
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John McGlashan College opened on 12 February 1918 with 21 boys. Margaret and Agnes McGlashan donated three acres of land and buildings in Dunedin's Maori Hill to establish a boarding school in their father John McGlashan's name. John McGlashan bought the Maori Hill land in 1855, naming it Balmacewen; he supported the Presbyterian Church and education and served on the Otago Education Board. The college has taught more than 6000 boys in a Christian-influenced environment and boarders now make up about a quarter of around 500 pupils. It became state-integrated in 1990; several original buildings remain, including the 1918 dining room (now used as a hall, gym, library and classroom) and the Balmacewen boarding house (opened a year later and now the Edgar Learning Centre).
Outdoor Education has a long and proud history at John McGlashan College and is integral to what we do and believe. It focuses on developing a passion for being active in the outdoors, self-management skills, resilience, service to the community, and key competencies such as thinking, relating to others, using language, symbols, and texts, managing self, and participating and contributing. The Year 7 camp is a four‑day adventure at Berwick Lodge to build confidence and relationships; Year 8 and Year 9 camps take students to Central Otago and the Rail Trail, and Year 10 camps offer further outdoor challenges such as Kepler Challenge and Temple Valley expeditions. The Duke of Edinburgh Award is offered and includes Bronze to Gold levels, with a Gold Residential Project, fostering community service and personal development and connecting students with peers locally and abroad.
The school has an active and enthusiastic Parents and Friends Association (PFA). The PFA funds projects that benefit students and runs the major fundraising event, the school Fete, held in September each year. In recent years the PFA donated $150,000 toward the Te Anau Downs campus for equipment and resources, new uniforms for the Kapa Haka group, improved drama lighting, and support for arts, sport and student endeavours. The PFA is a diverse group of parents who meet at the school one evening each month, and the AGM was held on March 10, 2025.
John McGlashan College is a state-integrated boys' secondary school in Dunedin, New Zealand, serving Years 7–13 with on-site boarding. The college offers the IB Diploma Programme alongside Learning Pathways 2024, with Years 7–8 taught in homerooms where Integrated Studies and Mathematics form a foundation; core subjects are taught by specialist teachers. Year 9 continues Integrated Studies in homerooms. Facilities include Davies' Sport Centre, the Edgar Learning Centre, Library with print and digital resources, on-site Boarding Houses (Ross House and Balmacewan House), Chapel, and a canteen. A Second Campus at Te Anau Downs supports adventure-based learning. The school has a history, opened in 1918 and state-integrated since 1990. It supports international students through ESOL and pathways to IB English Language B, with DISC International Social, German exchanges and PASCH scholarships. Co-curriculars span music and drama, outdoor education, debating and chess, and leadership programs such as Duke of Edinburgh and World Challenge.
