The school's proximity to Onehunga and Penrose's industrial and retail area has enabled links with some service clubs and businesses, including scholarships and trust funds.

Today the school is strongly international and enjoys all the qualities a wide range of cultures bring.

The school has always received students from Onehunga, Royal Oak, Hillsborough and Māngere Bridge but in recent times the number of enrolments beyond this zone have increased.

According to the 2009 Education Review Office report, the overall NCEA Level 1 results showed "consistent improvement over the past three years.

[5] In addition to the normal academic departments by learning areas, Onehunga High School has the following internal divisions at the Pleasant St campus: The Business school, founded in 2002[6] has attracted significant amounts of media publicity in particular, and visits from many notable people including the Rt Hon Helen Clark (New Zealand Prime Minister at the time) and Rt Hon John Key (Leader of the Opposition).

The Building and Construction School is a vocational division which provides opportunities for students to explore their interests in this trade.

The Services Academy is a unit focusing on preparing students who are looking for a future career in the New Zealand Defence Force or police.

Each year, until 2009, one Onehunga High School student wins a scholarship (provided by Tony Falkenstein) to attend the Cazadero Performing Arts Camp in California, US.