Dunsandel School
Irvines Road, Leeston · Canterbury
Composite score
Established
Top 25% in NZ
Rank #573 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Dunsandel School, a contributing primary school with 122 students, has been working to support wellbeing following recent traumatic events in the school community. The 2022 ERO review identified that teachers effectively use research-based approaches and regular evaluation to accelerate progress for students needing support, and noted growing capability among staff to promote positive mental health and resilience.
Best suited for
Students in Leeston looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is Dunsandel School a good school?
Dunsandel School scores 78/100 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
- Teachers effectively use research, different teaching approaches and regular evaluation to identify what initiatives have the greatest impact for students whose progress needs to be accelerated
- Growing capability of the principal and staff to support and promote positive mental health, wellbeing, and resilience for both students and staff
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 Dunsandel 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.
standdowns 0.0/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · top 10% of band (n=518) · why? ▼ hide
+2.5% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=515) · why? ▼ hide
75/100 — national average (no ERO review in our dataset) · below band median (n=520) · 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
2022-06-14 · Dr Lesley Patterson, Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
- Recent traumatic events have affected the school community, prompting focus on wellbeing initiatives
- Teachers effectively use research, different teaching approaches and regular evaluation to identify what initiatives have the greatest impact for students whose progress needs to be accelerated
- Growing capability of the principal and staff to support and promote positive mental health, wellbeing, and resilience for both students and staff
"recent traumatic events have affected the school community"
Audited financials
Year ended 2024 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$1.64M
Surplus / (deficit)
+$10k
Net assets / equity
$0.29M
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
0.0
· NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
0.0
· NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
0.0
· NZ avg ~1.5
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
$0.98M
Per-student funding · 2022
$8,027
2018
$0.9M
2019
$1.0M
2020
$0.9M
2021
$1.0M
2022
$1.0M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 15
- Year 02 27
- Year 03 19
- Year 04 17
- Year 05 20
- Year 06 19
- Year 07 4
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 63.9%
- Asian 26.2%
- Māori 11.5%
- Pacific 2.5%
- Other / MELAA 2.5%
Location
Irvines Road, Leeston. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Dunsandel School.
Burnham School - Te Kura o Tiori
Full Primary · 10.6km · 205 roll
48
-30 vs this
Ellesmere College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 12.6km · 514 roll
55
-23 vs this
Leeston School
Contributing · 13.1km · 315 roll
49
-29 vs this
Greendale School
Contributing · 13.9km · 34 roll
66
-12 vs this
West Rolleston Primary School
Full Primary · 14.5km · 835 roll
66
-12 vs this
Te Rau Horopito
Full Primary · 14.9km · roll n/a
87
+9 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Dunsandel School a good school?
Dunsandel School scores 78/100 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 2022-06 review identified 3 key findings. Recent traumatic events have affected the school community, prompting focus on wellbeing initiatives
How do I enrol my child at Dunsandel School?
Contact the school directly on 03-3254079, email admin@dunsandel.school.nz, or visit www.dunsandel.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?
Dunsandel School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Dunsandel School has 122 students, with an EQI of 426 (mid-range socio-economic context).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Dunsandel School in 2022-06, signed by Dr Lesley Patterson. 2 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