History

Ruakituri School was established in 1919 as Waikatea School. The school was renamed Ruakituri School in 1969. The school building was funded by Mr Boothman an original settler on land he also donated after the Education Board were taking too long to build a school to meet the needs of the local children. The school had no electricity, hot water system or flush toilets. In 1920 the school had 23 children on the roll. The roll grew in the 1960’s to over 70 students with 3 or 4 classes operating. Like most rural schools the roll has gradually declined in number with the changes in farming to what is a sole charge Principal/teacher roll since 2001.

The school has long enjoyed an active and engaged community that supports the school as part of the heart of the community. The community provides support in a variety of ways. The school’s history is long and proud with the 50^th, 75^th and 100^th Jubilee’s attended by large numbers of present and past staff, students and wider community members. There is a beautiful record in a publication “The School Log” which documents many aspects of the schools rich history.