Ferndale Te Ahu
104 Merivale Lane, Merivale · Canterbury
Composite score
Developing
Below median
Rank #1,916 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Ferndale Te Ahu is a day specialist school providing education, therapy and care for students aged 5 to 21 eligible for ORS funding. ERO identified well-targeted teaching programmes, a student-centred nurturing culture, and a collaborative teaching team as strengths. The school has a composite score of 84.
Best suited for
Students in Merivale looking for a state-funded setting.
Is Ferndale Te Ahu a good school?
Ferndale Te Ahu scores 51/100 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
- Well-targeted teaching programmes that support students to achieve individual learning goals with a suitable level of challenge
- A student-centred, nurturing culture that fosters strong relationships and a sense of belonging for ākonga and their whānau
- The collaborative, reflective and supportive teaching team culture focussed on ongoing improvements for students and maintaining a calm and settled learning environment
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 109.4/1k · suspensions 15.8/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · bottom quartile of band (n=539) · why? ▼ hide
+14.9% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · above band median (n=524) · why? ▼ hide
84/100 from ERO review 2024-04 · top 10% of band (n=544) · 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): 84/100.
Latest ERO review
2024-04-22 · Shelley Booysen, ERO
- Ferndale Te Ahu is a day specialist school providing specialised education, therapy and care for ākonga aged 5 to 21 years eligible for ORS funding
- The school's strategic priorities focus on ako learning (creating barrier-free, equitable and accelerated learning in literacy) and hauora wellbeing
- ERO and the school are evaluating how effectively specialised literacy practices support ākonga across all aspects of their learning
- The school continues to navigate and manage roll growth pressures along with employment and property demands
- Next public report will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report due within three years
"Ferndale Te Ahu is a day specialist school providing specialised education, therapy and care for ākonga aged between 5 to 21 years eligible for Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding."
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2018–2024. Click a point to read that review.
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
0.0%
0 of 7 leavers
0.0pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
0.0%
0 of 7 leavers
0.0pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
0.0%
0 of 7 leavers
0.0pt 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.
100.0%
2024 cohort · 7 students
+16.7pt 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
109.4
14 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
15.8
2 this year · 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
$4.97M
Per-student funding · 2022
$36,314
2018
$2.5M
2019
$2.8M
2020
$3.7M
2021
$4.1M
2022
$5.0M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 9
- Year 02 1
- Year 03 11
- Year 04 6
- Year 05 9
- Year 06 8
- Year 07 20
- Year 08 10
- Year 09 8
- Year 10 13
- Year 11 11
- Year 12 7
- Year 13+ 26
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 61.3%
- Māori 32.1%
- Pacific 11.7%
- Asian 7.3%
- Other / MELAA 5.1%
Location
104 Merivale Lane, Merivale. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Ferndale Te Ahu.
Selwyn House School
Full Primary · 0.1km · 298 roll
75
+24 vs this
St Margaret's College
Composite · 0.2km · 848 roll
86
+35 vs this
Rangi Ruru Girls' School
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 0.4km · 696 roll
87
+36 vs this
Elmwood Normal School
Contributing · 0.7km · 529 roll
68
+17 vs this
He Tīwai Mātauranga Heaton Normal Intermediate
Intermediate · 0.9km · 530 roll
65
+14 vs this
Christchurch Girls' High School -Te Kura o Hine Waiora
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 1.2km · 1,301 roll
83
+32 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Ferndale Te Ahu a good school?
Ferndale Te Ahu scores 51/100 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 2024-04 review identified 5 key findings. Ferndale Te Ahu is a day specialist school providing specialised education, therapy and care for ākonga aged 5 to 21 years eligible for ORS funding
How do I enrol my child at Ferndale Te Ahu?
Contact the school directly on 03-3557595, email admin@ferndale.school.nz, or visit www.ferndaleschool.co.nz. For state schools, check your home address against the school's enrolment zone — some schools are in-zone-only.
What are the fees?
Ferndale Te Ahu is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Ferndale Te Ahu has 137 students, with an EQI of 521 (higher socio-economic need).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Ferndale Te Ahu in 2024-04, signed by Shelley Booysen. 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
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz