St Hilda's Collegiate School was granted a roll increase of 50 pupils in May last year, and Columba College has applied to the Ministry of Education for a roll increase of 15 pupils.
Both St Hilda's Collegiate principal Melissa Bell and Columba College principal Elizabeth Wilson said the changes had become necessary because their rolls had grown beyond their current roll cap, and they were no longer receiving Ministry of Education funding for large numbers of pupils at their school.
Ms Bell said the roll cap change would allow the school to receive Ministry of Education funding for up to 450 pupils.
Previously, the school's roll cap was 400, and with the school's roll sitting stable at about 410-415 pupils in recent years, it had not been able to claim ministry funding for the 10-15 pupils over the limit.
The school was also recording increased demand from pupils in Central Otago wanting to board at the school's hostel, she said.
Miss Wilson said it had become necessary to change her school's roll cap because the present limit was 550 pupils, and there were 630 pupils on the roll this year.
"It's the largest our roll has ever been," she said.
With the present roll cap, it meant the school was not receiving funding for 80 pupils, and demand for places at the school was continuing to increase.
Miss Wilson said in view of the growing demand, it might be necessary for the board of trustees to apply for a further, larger roll cap shift.
Logan Park High School principal Jane Johnson said she and the school's board of trustees had written to the Ministry of Education with their concerns about the changes.
"Roll increases for integrated schools while there is a demographic dip has a direct impact on state schools. We know that from the number of primary schools closing in South Dunedin.
"We are very worried about integrated schools taking students away from state schools."
Mrs Johnson believed the roll cap change at St Hilda's Collegiate had already affected Logan Park High School.
"We are 10% down on pupil numbers this year - especially in girls. We have a 60% to 40% ratio of boys to girls at the school."
Mrs Johnson said staff and board members from other state secondary schools in the Otago region were also concerned about the roll cap changes.
However, Ms Bell dismissed accusations the schools, with their raised roll caps, were attracting pupils from other secondary schools in the city.
She said the roll had remained stable at St Hilda's during the past five years, and the roll cap change was only being used at this stage to gain funding for the excess pupils on the roll.
The move was also to cover a long-term projected increase in pupils wanting to study at the school.
"We're future-proofing the school," she said.
