Craighead Diocesan School
1 Wrights Avenue, West End · Canterbury
Composite score
Strong
Top 25% in NZ
Rank #375 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Craighead Diocesan School is a secondary school in Timaru with a composite score of 74. The hostel provides a safe environment with effective systems for monitoring boarders' security and wellbeing, supported by good facilities and clear communication between hostel and school. Boarders benefit from leadership opportunities and high participation in sports and after-school activities.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in West End looking for a state-funded setting with a strong recent ERO trajectory.
Is Craighead Diocesan School a good school?
Craighead Diocesan School scores 80/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 25% in NZ nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- Boarders have ready access to good quality facilities for socialising, sport and recreation, learning and sleep/rest
- Older boarders have increasing responsibility for managing themselves and for supporting younger boarders
- Planned events and competitions provide opportunities for student leadership with high participation in after school sports and activities
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 100% · L2 100% · UE 94% · top 10% of band (n=66) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 33% · Te Pūkenga 14% · Industry 0% · bottom quartile of band (n=64) · why? ▼ hide
97% to Y13 · top quartile of band (n=66) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 9.6/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · near band median (n=536) · why? ▼ hide
+7.8% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · top quartile of band (n=534) · why? ▼ hide
74/100 from ERO review 2023-08 · bottom quartile of band (n=539) · 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): 74/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-08-10 · Shelley Booysen, ERO
- Boarders are provided with an environment and routines that support their physical safety, wellbeing and learning
- The hostel has effective systems to monitor and manage boarders' security and safety in the hostel and when they are off site and on leave
- There is effective communication between the hostel and the school, so that hostel routines prioritise boarders' learning
- Further work could be done to align hostel pastoral care and behaviour management practices with school practices
- The board could strengthen practices for gathering and responding to student feedback
"Boarders are provided with an environment and routines that support their physical safety, wellbeing and learning."
Composite score across reviews
3 ERO reviews on file, 2016–2023. Click a point to read that review.
Audited financials
Year ended 2020 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$5.92M
Surplus / (deficit)
+$59k
Net assets / equity
$0.85M
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
100.0%
66 of 66 leavers
+2.0pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
100.0%
66 of 66 leavers
+2.0pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
93.9%
62 of 66 leavers
+1.9pt 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.
97.0%
2024 cohort · 66 students
+3.0pt 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
9.6
6 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
0.0
· 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 19
- Creative Industries 7
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
$4.26M
Per-student funding · 2022
$10,255
2018
$3.1M
2019
$3.5M
2020
$4.0M
2021
$4.0M
2022
$4.3M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 07 40
- Year 08 44
- Year 09 65
- Year 10 64
- Year 11 68
- Year 12 75
- Year 13+ 59
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 93.0%
- Asian 8.4%
- Māori 7.7%
- International 2.4%
- Other / MELAA 1.2%
- Pacific 1.0%
International students
SIEBA member · Boarding available
ESOL support
dedicated class
Location
1 Wrights Avenue, West End. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Craighead Diocesan School.
Highfield School
Full Primary · 1km · 341 roll
48
-32 vs this
Waimataitai School
Full Primary · 1km · 506 roll
42
-38 vs this
Oceanview Heights School
Full Primary · 1.1km · 109 roll
52
-28 vs this
St Joseph's School (Timaru)
Full Primary · 1.1km · 227 roll
81
+1 vs this
Bluestone School
Full Primary · 1.1km · 493 roll
43
-37 vs this
Timaru Boys' High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 1.4km · 767 roll
68
-12 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Craighead Diocesan School a good school?
Craighead Diocesan School scores 80/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 25% in NZ nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2023-08 review identified 5 key findings. Boarders are provided with an environment and routines that support their physical safety, wellbeing and learning
How do I enrol my child at Craighead Diocesan School?
Contact the school directly on 03-6886074, email admin@craighead.school.nz, or visit www.craighead.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?
Craighead Diocesan School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Craighead Diocesan School has 415 students, with an EQI of 409 (lower socio-economic need). It is a girls school-only school.
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Craighead Diocesan School in 2023-08, signed by Shelley Booysen. 5 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
- sieba.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- craighead.school.nz
- crimestats.co.nz