Blue Mountain College
State Highway 90, Tapanui · Otago & Southland
Composite score
Developing
Below median
Rank #1,783 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Blue Mountain College is a co-educational rural secondary school in Tapanui serving Years 7 to 13, with an inclusive, caring culture and well-established evaluation practices. The school focuses on developing learners' personal best across a broad curriculum, with staff understanding individual students' needs and providing relevant, challenging teaching. An inquiry focus on student transitions supports the school's ongoing commitment to knowledge building and improvement.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Tapanui looking for a state-funded setting.
Is Blue Mountain College a good school?
Blue Mountain College scores 55/100 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
- an inclusive, caring culture where there is positive role modelling from senior students
- staff understanding individual students' needs, abilities and interests
- teaching practices that are relevant, challenging and meaningful for 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 97% · L2 88% · UE 46% · top quartile of band (n=84) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 4% · Te Pūkenga 5% · Industry 3% · bottom quartile of band (n=81) · why? ▼ hide
82% to Y13 · above band median (n=86) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 48.3/1k · suspensions 5.1/1k · exclusions 3.1/1k · bottom quartile of band (n=404) · why? ▼ hide
-3.9% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=403) · why? ▼ hide
85/100 from ERO review 2019-10 · top 10% of band (n=406) · 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): 85/100.
Latest ERO review
2022-10-14 · Dr Lesley Patterson, Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
- School is co-educational Years 7 to 13 rural school in Tapanui, West Otago with focus on developing learners' personal best across broad curriculum
- Inquiry work already underway focused on student perceptions of transitions into, through and from middle school
- School has well-established evaluation, inquiry and knowledge building practices with openness to new learning
- Strategic priorities include engaging wider community to support local curriculum and enhancing learning environment
- Next evaluation report due within three years as Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report
"The school's mission for its learners is to develop their personal best across a broad curriculum which focuses on them as individuals."
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
97.0%
32 of 33 leavers
-3.0pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
87.9%
29 of 33 leavers
+10.1pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
45.5%
15 of 33 leavers
+4.8pt 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.
81.8%
2024 cohort · 33 students
+7.7pt 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
48.3
17 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
5.1
2 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
3.1
1 this year · NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Construction and Infrastructure 2
- Service Industries 2
- Creative Industries 2
- Primary Industries 1
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
$4.05M
Per-student funding · 2022
$18,650
2018
$2.9M
2019
$3.9M
2020
$4.1M
2021
$3.1M
2022
$4.0M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 07 34
- Year 08 39
- Year 09 38
- Year 10 34
- Year 11 31
- Year 12 22
- Year 13+ 24
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 73.7%
- Māori 18.9%
- Asian 10.6%
- Other / MELAA 4.6%
- Pacific 1.4%
Location
State Highway 90, Tapanui. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Blue Mountain College.
Frequently asked
Is Blue Mountain College a good school?
Blue Mountain College scores 55/100 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 2022-10 review identified 5 key findings. School is co-educational Years 7 to 13 rural school in Tapanui, West Otago with focus on developing learners' personal best across broad curriculum
How do I enrol my child at Blue Mountain College?
Contact the school directly on 03-2048358, email admin@bmc.school.nz, or visit www.bmc.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?
Blue Mountain College is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Blue Mountain College has 217 students, with an EQI of 463 (mid-range socio-economic context).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Blue Mountain College in 2022-10, signed by Dr Lesley Patterson. 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