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Secondary (Year 9-15) · State

Avondale College

Victor Street, Avondale · Auckland — Central

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Total roll 2,809
EQI 439
Principal Mrs Lyndy Watkinson
Founded 1945
69

Composite score

Established

B

Above median

Rank #1,153 of scored NZ schools

Top 25% in University Entrance

In summary

Avondale College's ERO review in April 2023 identified a school culture promoting high levels of student success, broad career pathways, and strong wellbeing support systems. Leadership changes since 2020 have included a new principal and associate principal role. The school prioritises evaluative practices for improvement and equity, with commitment to promoting Māori and Pacific student success across its diverse community.

Best suited for

Students aged 13-18 in Avondale looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.

Is Avondale College a good school?

Avondale College scores 69/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Above median nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.

Strengths from the latest ERO report

  • A school culture that promotes high levels of student success
  • The provision of broad career pathways in the curriculum
  • Strong systems and processes to support students' wellbeing

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.

How this is computed
Academic
35%
L1 91% · L2 87% · UE 73% · above band median (n=81) · why?
Mean of latest NCEA Level 1 + Level 2 + UE achievement percentage from Education Counts. Year: 2024. Peer comparison: above band median (n=81).
86
Outcomes
25%
Uni 42% · Te Pūkenga 6% · Industry 5% · near band median (n=77) · why?
Share of leavers going to a New Zealand university + Te Pūkenga + Industry Training (capped at 100%). Counts are normalised when EC publishes raw cohort sizes instead of percentages. Source: Education Counts post-school destinations. Year: 2025. Peer comparison: near band median (n=77).
52
Retention
15%
90% to Y13 · above band median (n=84) · why?
Percentage of the Y9 cohort still enrolled in Y13 (all students). Source: Education Counts retention table. Year: 2024. Peer comparison: above band median (n=84).
90
Wellbeing
12%
standdowns 41.9/1k · suspensions 3.4/1k · exclusions 2.8/1k · bottom quartile of band (n=518) · why?
Composite of stand-downs, suspensions, and exclusions per 1,000 students (lower is better). Formula: standdowns/1k + 2× suspensions/1k + 5× exclusions/1k. Small primary schools with no rows score top of band ("no incidents reported"). Source: Education Counts student engagement. Year: 2024. Peer comparison: bottom quartile of band (n=518).
37
Trajectory
8%
-0.9% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=515) · why?
5-year change in total roll. −20% → 0 score, 0% → 50, +20% → 100. Source: Education Counts roll history. Year: 2025. Peer comparison: near band median (n=515).
49
ERO review
5%
84/100 from ERO review 2023-04 · top quartile of band (n=520) · why?
Composite score from the most recent Education Review Office report (Haiku-extracted 0–100 from the published review text). For primary schools this is the heaviest axis (40%) because NCEA-style outcomes data isn't applicable. Source: ERO via Wayback archive. Year: 2023. Peer comparison: top quartile of band (n=520).
84

⚠ 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): 84/100.

Latest ERO review

2023-04-11 · Filivaifale Jason Swann, Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

ERO report
  • A new principal was appointed in 2020 and an associate principal role was established in 2021
  • The school's strategic priorities include sustaining evaluative practices for school improvement for excellence and equity
  • The diverse community is reflected in the school population with commitment to promoting Māori and Pacific success
  • Strong systems and processes support students' wellbeing
  • Teachers demonstrate commitment to professional learning to advance their teaching strategies
"A new principal was appointed in 2020 and an associate principal role was established in 2021."
— ERO, 2023-04-11 (leadership)

Composite score across reviews

2 ERO reviews on file, 2015–2023. Click a point to read that review.

latest 84
0 25 50 75 100 20152023 2015-01-21 · 83/100 2023-04-11 · 84/100

Trajectory across review cycles

Year-over-year change per dimension based on consecutive ERO reviews.

Audited financials

Year ended 2024 · Audit opinion: unmodified

Annual report

Total revenue

$34.97M

Surplus / (deficit)

+$840k

Net assets / equity

$14.55M

NCEA achievement

School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).

Education Counts

NCEA Level 1 · 2024

91.2%

488 of 535 leavers

+0.7pt vs prior year

NCEA Level 2 · 2024

86.7%

464 of 535 leavers

+3.2pt vs prior year

University Entrance · 2024

73.1%

391 of 535 leavers

+2.5pt 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.

Education Counts

89.5%

2024 cohort · 535 students

+2.4pt 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.

Education Counts

Stand-downs · 2024

41.9

181 this year · NZ avg ~37

Suspensions · 2024

3.4

18 this year · NZ avg ~5

Exclusions · 2024

2.8

12 this year · NZ avg ~1.5

Vocational Pathway Awards

School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).

Education Counts
  • Creative Industries 24
  • Service Industries 20
  • Manufacturing and Technology 14
  • Social and Community Services 4
  • Construction and Infrastructure 2

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.

Education Counts

Total Crown funding · 2022

$21.11M

Per-student funding · 2022

$7,514

2018

$17.1M

2019

$17.7M

2020

$20.1M

2021

$20.8M

2022

$21.1M

Roll by year level

July 2025 roll return.

Education Counts
  • Year 09
    495
  • Year 10
    580
  • Year 11
    599
  • Year 12
    578
  • Year 13+
    533

Roll by ethnicity

Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.

Education Counts
  • Asian
    42.6%
  • European/Pākehā
    28.4%
  • Pacific
    26.7%
  • Māori
    10.9%
  • Other / MELAA
    10.7%
  • International
    4.7%

International students

SIEBA member · Day school only

Principal

Mrs Lyndy Watkinson

School website

Location

Victor Street, Avondale. Nearby schools marked in grey.

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Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO

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Frequently asked

Is Avondale College a good school?

Avondale College scores 69/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Above median nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.

What does the latest ERO review say?

ERO's 2023-04 review identified 5 key findings. A new principal was appointed in 2020 and an associate principal role was established in 2021

How do I enrol my child at Avondale College?

Contact the school directly on 09-8287024, email admin@avcol.school.nz, or visit www.avcol.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?

Avondale College is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.

What is the roll size?

Avondale College has 2,809 students, with an EQI of 439 (mid-range socio-economic context).

When was the school last reviewed by ERO?

The Education Review Office last reviewed Avondale College in 2023-04, signed by Filivaifale Jason Swann. 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.

Last updated

31 Dec 2024

Source documents

5 cited

Spot an error?

Report a correction

Sourced from

  • ero.govt.nz
  • avcol.school.nz
  • sieba.nz
  • schoolsdata.co.nz
  • crimestats.co.nz