Aurora College
234 Regent Street, Invercargill · Otago & Southland
See all schools in Invercargill →
Composite score
Concern
Below median
Rank #2,299 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Aurora College received an Education Review Office review in March 2023 under Te Ara Huarau. The school demonstrated positive classroom relationships with teachers who know their students well, a sustained focus on student wellbeing, and a learning environment responsive to individual student needs. The school has a composite score of 60.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Invercargill looking for a state-funded setting.
Is Aurora College a good school?
Aurora College scores 36/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Below median nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- Positive classroom relationships and teachers who know their students well
- A sustained focus on student wellbeing
- Learning environment responsive to the needs of individual students
Summary derived from ERO reports + audited financials + MoE records. Every claim links to its source — see data transparency at the bottom of this page.
Score breakdown
6 axes, each scored 0–100 on a national absolute scale. As at 2025.
L1 58% · L2 50% · UE 23% · bottom quartile of band (n=142) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 0% · Te Pūkenga 3% · Industry 5% · near band median (n=123) · why? ▼ hide
51% to Y13 · bottom quartile of band (n=166) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 221.8/1k · suspensions 12.8/1k · exclusions 4.0/1k · bottom quartile of band (n=539) · why? ▼ hide
+30.6% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · top quartile of band (n=524) · why? ▼ hide
60/100 from ERO review 2023-03 · bottom quartile of band (n=544) · why? ▼ hide
⚠ Insufficient EQI-band peers (n<10) to compute per-axis percentile context. The score above is absolute; treat it as a single-school read rather than a peer comparison.
Real ERO composite (from the latest review): 60/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-03-27 · Kathy Lye, Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
- Positive classroom relationships and teachers who know their students well
- A sustained focus on student wellbeing
- Learning environment responsive to the needs of individual students
- Culturally responsive and relational pedagogy is being embedded within the classroom
- ERO has concerns about the sufficiency, quality and effective use of achievement information to set meaningful schoolwide targets and track learner progress
"A sustained focus on student wellbeing."
Composite score across reviews
3 ERO reviews on file, 2014–2023. Click a point to read that review.
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
57.8%
63 of 109 leavers
-9.6pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
49.5%
54 of 109 leavers
-1.7pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
22.9%
25 of 109 leavers
+5.5pt vs prior year
Data: Ministry of Education / Education Counts, CC-BY-4.0
Stay-on rate
Percentage of students who stay at school until at least their 17th birthday — the standard NZ proxy for Year-9-to-Year-13 retention.
51.4%
2024 cohort · 109 students
-12.6pt vs 2023
Discipline (age-standardised, per 1,000 students)
Stand-down = sent home temporarily. Suspension = formal investigation. Exclusion = removed from school. National averages shown for comparison.
Stand-downs · 2024
221.8
230 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
12.8
15 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
4.0
4 this year · NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Service Industries 4
- Creative Industries 3
Government funding
Crown funding only (school operations + teacher salaries + property). Excludes locally-raised funds, international fees and trading income — those are in the audited financial report above.
Total Crown funding · 2022
$9.18M
Per-student funding · 2022
$15,378
2018
$6.3M
2019
$6.8M
2020
$8.1M
2021
$8.4M
2022
$9.2M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 07 78
- Year 08 82
- Year 09 101
- Year 10 99
- Year 11 117
- Year 12 85
- Year 13+ 52
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 55.1%
- Māori 37.2%
- Pacific 9.9%
- Asian 5.4%
- Other / MELAA 2.7%
Location
234 Regent Street, Invercargill. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Aurora College.
St Patrick's School (Invercargill)
Contributing · 0.7km · 299 roll
65
+29 vs this
Fernworth Primary School
Contributing · 1.1km · 262 roll
46
+10 vs this
Newfield Park School
Contributing · 1.2km · 223 roll
43
+7 vs this
Te Wharekura o Arowhenua
Composite · 1.8km · 204 roll
60
+24 vs this
Tisbury School
Contributing · 2km · 115 roll
61
+25 vs this
Verdon College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 2km · 727 roll
70
+34 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Aurora College a good school?
Aurora College scores 36/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Below median nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2023-03 review identified 5 key findings. Positive classroom relationships and teachers who know their students well
How do I enrol my child at Aurora College?
Contact the school directly on 03-2116040, email office@auroracollege.school.nz, or visit www.auroracollege.school.nz. For state schools, check your home address against the school's enrolment zone — some schools are in-zone-only.
What are the fees?
Aurora College is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Aurora College has 597 students, with an EQI of 545 (higher socio-economic need).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Aurora College in 2023-03, signed by Kathy Lye. 4 ERO reports are on file in our archive.
Data transparency
Every fact on this page links to its source. We never publish a claim without provenance — read our methodology for the full rules.
Sourced from
- ero.govt.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz