Fairhall School
New Renwick Road, Fairhall · Nelson, Marlborough & West Coast
Composite score
Established
Top 25% in NZ
Rank #562 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Fairhall School is a full primary school serving 209 students in Blenheim. According to its September 2019 ERO review, the school promotes equitable outcomes with most students achieving at or above expectations in writing and mathematics, and almost all in reading. The school has effectively addressed boys' achievement disparity in writing and is effectively supporting accelerated progress for Māori and targeted students. Leadership is described as improvement-focused and strongly reflective, supported by clear strategic goals and engaging learning environments.
Best suited for
Students aged 5-11 in Fairhall looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is Fairhall School a good school?
Fairhall School scores 78/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 25% in NZ nationally. ERO trajectory has declined across recent review cycles. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- An improvement-focused strategic plan that clearly outlines goals to support learners meet their full potential
- Learning environments that promote student participation and engagement
- A well-considered, highly reflective and strongly improvement-focused leadership approach that promotes a collective response to the needs of all learners
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.
standdowns 0.0/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · top 10% of band (n=536) · why? ▼ hide
-5.4% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · below band median (n=534) · why? ▼ hide
81/100 from ERO review 2019-09 · near band median (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): 81/100.
Latest ERO review
2019-09-26 · Dr Lesley Patterson, Southern Region
- The school is promoting equitable and excellent outcomes for all students, with most students achieving at or above expectations in writing and mathematics, and almost all in reading
- The school has effectively addressed boys' achievement disparity in writing, with minimal difference across gender groups by 2018
- The school is effectively responding to students whose learning needs accelerating, with many Māori and targeted students making accelerated progress
- Sound moderation practice and use of nationally-referenced tools support dependable achievement judgements and inform board decisions
- Documented curriculum requires further review and development to better reflect current practices and ensure clearer focus on local context and bicultural nature of Aotearoa New Zealand
"School achievement information since 2016 indicates that most students, including Māori, achieve at or above the school's curriculum expectations in writing and mathematics. Almost all students achieve at or above expectations in reading."
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2015–2019. Click a point to read that review.
Trajectory across review cycles
Year-over-year change per dimension based on consecutive ERO reviews.
The curriculum moved from a strength (2015: "wide range of meaningful learning opportunities" with "strong emphasis on literacy, mathematics, science") to an area requiring development (2019: "Documented curriculum requires further review and development to better reflect current practices and ensure clearer focus on local context and bicultural nature of Aotearoa New Zealand"). While practices improved in achievement outcomes, the formal curriculum documentation was identified as needing revision.
2015-12 → 2019-09 diff source
Both reports recognize strong leadership, but the 2019 report emphasizes a more reflective and improvement-focused approach by the principal specifically, whereas the 2015 report praised leadership more broadly across the board, principal, and staff collectively. The 2019 report also notes 'strong collegial relationships' as a defining feature of the principal's leadership style.
2015-12 → 2019-09 diff source
Governance findings shifted from emphasis on 'very well governed' board practices with 'good levels of expertise' (2015) to focus on principal leadership and internal evaluation frameworks (2019). The 2019 report does not explicitly address board governance, instead highlighting the principal's 'well-considered, highly reflective and improvement-focused leadership' and an 'appropriate internal evaluation framework.'
2015-12 → 2019-09 diff source
Both reports affirm strong teaching quality, but with a shift in emphasis. The 2015 report highlighted "very good use of achievement information" and oral language as a key strength. By 2019, the focus had broadened to address specific achievement gaps (boys' writing disparity), accelerated progress for targeted students, and improved moderation practices, though a concern emerged that "Documented curriculum requires further review and development to better reflect current practices."
2015-12 → 2019-09 diff source
Both reports indicate positive achievement outcomes for Māori students, with the 2015 report noting the school actively consults with the Māori community, and the 2019 report providing more specific evidence that 'most students, including Māori, achieve at or above the school's curriculum expectations in writing and mathematics.' The 2019 report additionally documents new cultural initiatives including kapa haka and te reo Māori professional development for staff, representing a more comprehensive and documented approach to supporting Māori student success.
2015-12 → 2019-09 diff source
Audited financials
Year ended 2024 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$1.97M
Surplus / (deficit)
$5k
Net assets / equity
$0.19M
2 years of audited data on file · View full history (Pro)
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
$1.45M
Per-student funding · 2022
$6,961
2018
$1.1M
2019
$1.1M
2020
$1.5M
2021
$2.2M
2022
$1.5M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 35
- Year 02 21
- Year 03 15
- Year 04 30
- Year 05 22
- Year 06 23
- Year 07 28
- Year 08 19
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 94.7%
- Māori 5.3%
- Asian 4.8%
- Other / MELAA 4.8%
- Pacific 0.5%
Location
New Renwick Road, Fairhall. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Fairhall School.
Te Pā Wānanga o Ōmaka Marae
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Composite · 3.9km · 326 roll
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Contributing · 4km · 373 roll
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Whitney Street School
Contributing · 4.5km · 388 roll
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-1 vs this
Redwoodtown School
Full Primary · 4.7km · 317 roll
39
-39 vs this
Marlborough Girls' College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 4.7km · 923 roll
67
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Frequently asked
Is Fairhall School a good school?
Fairhall School scores 78/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 25% in NZ nationally. ERO trajectory has declined across recent review cycles. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2019-09 review identified 6 key findings. The school is promoting equitable and excellent outcomes for all students, with most students achieving at or above expectations in writing and mathematics, and almost all in reading
How do I enrol my child at Fairhall School?
Contact the school directly on 03-5778939, email debbie.stanger@fairhall.school.nz, or visit www.fairhall.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?
Fairhall School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Fairhall School has 209 students, with an EQI of 391 (lower socio-economic need).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Fairhall School in 2019-09, 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
- fairhall.school.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz