Best Schools in Hawke's Bay & Gisborne 2026
The top-ranked schools in Hawke's Bay & Gisborne on academic results and on the SchoolsNearMe value-added composite, which compares each school against its EQI peer group.
183 schools · refreshed from Education Counts 2026-07-12. Full methodology.
Top 21 schools in Hawke's Bay & Gisborne by academic results
Secondary schools ranked on NCEA Level 1–3 and University Entrance achievement — the "consensus" measure most rankings use. For a fairer, intake-adjusted view, see the value-added list below.
League-table caveat: we only rank schools with at least 30 NCEA candidates, so a 100% pass rate on a handful of students doesn't out-rank a large school — small-cohort percentages are volatile year to year. Read alongside the per-axis breakdown on each school's profile.
- 197/100
- 297/100
- 392/100
- 489/100
- 588/100
- 687/100
- 787/100
- 881/100
- 979/100
- 1079/100
- 1177/100
- 1274/100
- 1374/100
- 1473/100
- 1566/100
- 1664/100
- 1764/100Hastings Girls' High School - Ngā Rau Huia o Ākina Stortford Lodge · EQI 514
L1 78% · L2 64% · UE 38%
- 1860/100
- 1950/100
- 2048/100
- 2147/100
The honest list: best value-added schools in Hawke's Bay & Gisborne
The SchoolsNearMe composite scores every level (primary, intermediate, secondary) against its EQI peer group — so it surfaces schools that get the most out of their students, not just the ones with the most advantaged intake. How it's calculated.
- 1TKKM o Takapau
Takapau · Full Primary · 39 students · EQI 510+ (most disadvantaged)
View profile →92
/ 100 composite
Wellbeing100Trajectory100ERO review81 - View profile →
92
/ 100 composite
Wellbeing100Trajectory100ERO review79 - View profile →
91
/ 100 composite
Wellbeing100Trajectory87ERO review86 - 4Napier Community High School
Napier · Activity Centre · — students · EQI 510+ (most disadvantaged)
View profile →91
/ 100 composite
Wellbeing100Trajectory—ERO review84 - View profile →
90
/ 100 composite
Wellbeing100Trajectory100ERO review75 - View profile →
89
/ 100 composite
Wellbeing100Trajectory79ERO review85 - View profile →
88
/ 100 composite
Academic92Outcomes—Retention92Wellbeing69Trajectory100ERO review67 - View profile →
88
/ 100 composite
Wellbeing100Trajectory100ERO review71 - 9Wairoa Primary School
Wairoa · Full Primary · 297 students · EQI 510+ (most disadvantaged)
View profile →87
/ 100 composite
Wellbeing86Trajectory100ERO review80 - 10Turanganui-A-Kiwa Activity Centre
Gisborne · Activity Centre · — students · EQI 510+ (most disadvantaged)
View profile →87
/ 100 composite
Wellbeing100Trajectory—ERO review76 - 11Omahu School
Hastings · Full Primary · 56 students · EQI 510+ (most disadvantaged)
View profile →86
/ 100 composite
Wellbeing100Trajectory100ERO review65 - View profile →
86
/ 100 composite
Wellbeing100Trajectory71ERO review83
Schools by suburb in Hawke's Bay & Gisborne
Browse every school in a specific Hawke's Bay & Gisborne suburb, ranked locally with ERO history and the value-added composite.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best schools in Hawke's Bay & Gisborne?
On academic results (NCEA Level 1–3 and University Entrance), the top-ranked Hawke's Bay & Gisborne secondary schools are Woodford House, Iona College, Lindisfarne College, Napier Girls' High School, Sacred Heart College (Napier). On the SchoolsNearMe value-added composite — which compares each school against its EQI peer group across all year levels — the leaders are TKKM o Takapau, Tikokino School, Whangara School.
What are the best school suburbs in Hawke's Bay & Gisborne?
Havelock North, Gisborne, Stortford Lodge, Napier, Hastings have the highest concentration of top-ranked schools in Hawke's Bay & Gisborne on our academic ranking. Note that several of the highest-performing schools have enrolment zones, so the suburb you live in can determine which state schools you can enrol at.
How do school zones work in Hawke's Bay & Gisborne?
Many Hawke's Bay & Gisborne state schools operate an enrolment zone (home zone): if your home address is inside the zone you have a legal right to enrol, while out-of-zone places are allocated by ballot. Several of the highest-performing state schools are zoned, so the address you live at — not just the suburb — can determine which schools you can enrol at. Always confirm a school's current zone with the school or the Ministry of Education before relying on it; you can check schools against a specific address with our by-address tool.
Decile or Equity Index — how are Hawke's Bay & Gisborne schools rated for socio-economic need?
New Zealand replaced the decile system with the Equity Index (EQI) in 2023. A lower EQI means a more socio-economically advantaged community; a higher EQI means greater need. EQI measures the intake, not teaching quality — a higher-EQI school can outperform a lower-EQI one. The SchoolsNearMe composite controls for EQI so a school serving a more disadvantaged community isn't unfairly penalised against its peers.
What is the most prestigious school in Hawke's Bay & Gisborne?
Prestige is subjective and often tied to a school's history, roll and fees rather than results. On measurable academic achievement, Woodford House is among the highest-ranked schools in Hawke's Bay & Gisborne. We rank on outcomes — NCEA, University Entrance, retention, post-school destinations and wellbeing — not reputation.
What is the highest-decile (most advantaged) school in Hawke's Bay & Gisborne?
The decile system was replaced by the Equity Index (EQI) in 2023 — a lower EQI means a more socio-economically advantaged student community. In Hawke's Bay & Gisborne, Woodford House (Havelock North) has one of the lowest EQI figures at 394. The SchoolsNearMe composite controls for EQI so advantage alone doesn't inflate a school's score.
How these rankings work
The academic ranking orders secondary schools by NCEA Level 1–3 and University Entrance achievement. The value-added composite combines five axes — academic achievement, post-school destinations, Y9→Y13 retention, wellbeing (low stand-down rate) and roll trajectory — into a single 0–100 score, comparing each school against its EQI-band peers (12 bands covering New Zealand's socio-economic spread) so a school serving a more disadvantaged community isn't unfairly penalised.
Source data: Education Counts (NCEA, retention, destinations, discipline, funding) · Ministry of Education (roll, EQI, identity).