Buller High School
33 Derby Street, Westport · Nelson, Marlborough & West Coast
Composite score
Developing
Below median
Rank #1,671 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Buller High School's 2022 ERO review identified that teachers share high, clear, and equitable expectations for student learning and that internal evaluation practices support the use of evidence to improve practice. ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well culturally responsive practice meets the needs of all learners, particularly those who identify as Māori and are at risk of not meeting their potential. No composite score is currently available.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Westport looking for a state-funded setting.
Is Buller High School a good school?
Buller High School scores 58/100 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
- Teachers share high, clear, and equitable expectations for student learning, achievement, progress, and wellbeing
- Internal evaluation practices support the gathering, analysis, and use of evidence of student learning and outcomes to improve individual and collective practice
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.
ERO review not in our dataset
We don't yet have a parsed ERO composite for Buller High School, so the ERO axis below uses the national-average ERO score (75/100) as a placeholder. The composite shown above incorporates that estimate. When we ingest a real ERO review for this school, the score will refresh and may move materially in either direction.
If you've spotted a recent ERO report we've missed, let us know — every flagged report gets re-ingested on the next refresh.
L1 85% · L2 76% · UE 52% · above band median (n=109) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 7% · Te Pūkenga 14% · Industry 8% · near band median (n=102) · why? ▼ hide
78% to Y13 · near band median (n=115) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 52.5/1k · suspensions 7.7/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · near band median (n=468) · why? ▼ hide
+10.4% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · above band median (n=469) · why? ▼ hide
75/100 — national average (no ERO review in our dataset) · near band median (n=471) · 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.
Latest ERO review
2022-06-28 · Dr Lesley Patterson, Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
- Teachers share high, clear, and equitable expectations for student learning, achievement, progress, and wellbeing
- Internal evaluation practices support the gathering, analysis, and use of evidence of student learning and outcomes to improve individual and collective practice
- ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well culturally responsive practice meets the needs of all learners, particularly those who identify as Māori and are at risk of not meeting their potential
"focus decision making within the school on raising student achievement"
Audited financials
Year ended 2021 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$5.71M
Surplus / (deficit)
+$21k
Net assets / equity
$2.12M
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
84.5%
60 of 71 leavers
+5.4pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
76.1%
54 of 71 leavers
+6.0pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
52.1%
37 of 71 leavers
+10.3pt 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.
77.5%
2024 cohort · 71 students
-0.1pt 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
52.5
43 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
7.7
7 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
0.0
· NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Service Industries 8
- Creative Industries 2
- Manufacturing and Technology 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
$5.83M
Per-student funding · 2022
$16,938
2018
$4.1M
2019
$4.3M
2020
$4.3M
2021
$4.9M
2022
$5.8M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 09 82
- Year 10 73
- Year 11 79
- Year 12 75
- Year 13+ 52
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 84.6%
- Māori 23.5%
- Asian 4.4%
- Pacific 2.6%
- Other / MELAA 2.6%
Location
33 Derby Street, Westport. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Buller High School.
Frequently asked
Is Buller High School a good school?
Buller High School scores 58/100 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 2022-06 review identified 3 key findings. Teachers share high, clear, and equitable expectations for student learning, achievement, progress, and wellbeing
How do I enrol my child at Buller High School?
Contact the school directly on 03-7897299, email office@buller.ac.nz, or visit www.buller.ac.nz. For state schools, check your home address against the school's enrolment zone — some schools are in-zone-only.
What are the fees?
Buller High School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Buller High School has 344 students, with an EQI of 487 (mid-range socio-economic context).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Buller High School in 2022-06, signed by Dr Lesley Patterson. 3 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
- web.archive.org
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz