Established in 1960, the school quickly grew into one of Christchurch's largest secondary schools, with a peak roll of over 1600 students. The school became a key community hub and helped to educate not only local Māori and Pasifika students, but also Pākehā (New Zealand European) and other ethnicities well beyond the Aranui community limits. During the magnitude 6.3 earthquake on 22 February, the school suffered only moderate damage but was forced to close for nearly a month. As a result of the earthquake the school experienced a significant decline in enrolment. In 2013, Education Minister
Hekia Parata announced that Aranui High School would be merged with local primary schools, including Wainoni, Aranui and Avondale Primary, to form a year 1–13 community campus. Aranui High School closed on 15 December 2016. ==Houses==