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Full Primary · State

Fordell School

21 Budge Street, Fordell · Taranaki & Manawatū

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Total roll 144
EQI 455
Founded 1883
84

Composite score

Strong

A

Top 10% in NZ

Rank #215 of scored NZ schools

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Top 25% in Fewer stand-downs
State school Co-educational Full Primary (Years 1-8)

In summary

Fordell School's most recent ERO review (February 2025) found that most learners are achieving at or above curriculum level expectations in mathematics and literacy, though a disparity in boys' writing has been identified. The school demonstrates strong, improvement-focused leadership and maintains a positive inclusive environment where learners express belonging and pride in their learning. The school's composite score is 81.

Best suited for

Students aged 5-11 in Fordell looking for a state-funded setting with a strong recent ERO trajectory.

Is Fordell School a good school?

Fordell School scores 84/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 10% in NZ nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.

Strengths from the latest ERO report

  • Strong, improvement-focused leadership using wide range of evidence for informed decisions
  • High expectations for quality teaching and learning with ongoing professional growth commitment
  • Positive inclusive environment that values diversity and promotes student wellbeing

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.

How this is computed
Wellbeing
35%
standdowns 0.0/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · top 10% of band (n=404) · why?
Composite of stand-downs, suspensions, and exclusions per 1,000 students (lower is better). Formula: standdowns/1k + 2× suspensions/1k + 5× exclusions/1k. Small primary schools with no rows score top of band ("no incidents reported"). Source: Education Counts student engagement. Year: 2024. Peer comparison: top 10% of band (n=404).
100
Trajectory
25%
+13.9% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · top quartile of band (n=403) · why?
5-year change in total roll. −20% → 0 score, 0% → 50, +20% → 100. Source: Education Counts roll history. Year: 2025. Peer comparison: top quartile of band (n=403).
67
ERO review
40%
81/100 from ERO review 2025-02 · above band median (n=406) · why?
Composite score from the most recent Education Review Office report (Haiku-extracted 0–100 from the published review text). For primary schools this is the heaviest axis (40%) because NCEA-style outcomes data isn't applicable. Source: ERO via Wayback archive. Year: 2025. Peer comparison: above band median (n=406).
81

⚠ 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

2025-02-07 · Sharon Kelly, ERO

ERO report
  • Most learners, including Māori learners, are achieving at or above curriculum level expectations in mathematics and a large majority are achieving at or above curriculum level expectations in literacy; there is an identified disparity for boys in writing yet to be addressed by the school.
  • Strong leadership is improvement focused and pursues strategic priorities for the school, using a wide range of evidence to make informed decisions.
  • Learners express a positive sense of belonging and pride that supports their wellbeing and engagement with learning.
  • Teachers integrate te reo Māori and tikanga Māori into classroom programmes to reflect Te Tiriti o Waitangi with appropriate professional learning in place.
  • Parents and whānau are respected and valued partners in their child's learning with strong relationships focused on achievement, wellbeing and the wider curriculum.
"Most learners, including Māori learners, are achieving at or above curriculum level expectations in mathematics and a large majority are achieving at or above curriculum level expectations in literacy; there is an identified disparity for boys in writing yet to be addressed by the school."
— ERO, 2025-02-07 (achievement)

Composite score across reviews

2 ERO reviews on file, 2019–2025. Click a point to read that review.

latest 81
0 25 50 75 100 20192025 2019-04-26 · 77/100 2025-02-07 · 81/100

Audited financials

Year ended 2023 · Audit opinion: unmodified

Annual report

Total revenue

$1.29M

Surplus / (deficit)

+$97k

Net assets / equity

$0.85M

Discipline (age-standardised, per 1,000 students)

Stand-down = sent home temporarily. Suspension = formal investigation. Exclusion = removed from school. National averages shown for comparison.

Education Counts

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.

Education Counts

Total Crown funding · 2022

$0.96M

Per-student funding · 2022

$6,686

2018

$0.6M

2019

$0.7M

2020

$1.0M

2021

$0.9M

2022

$1.0M

Roll by year level

July 2025 roll return.

Education Counts
  • Year 01
    16
  • Year 02
    11
  • Year 03
    24
  • Year 04
    16
  • Year 05
    13
  • Year 06
    22
  • Year 07
    13
  • Year 08
    24

Roll by ethnicity

Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.

Education Counts
  • European/Pākehā
    88.9%
  • Māori
    20.8%
  • Pacific
    8.3%
  • Asian
    4.2%
  • Other / MELAA
    1.4%

Location

21 Budge Street, Fordell. Nearby schools marked in grey.

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Frequently asked

Is Fordell School a good school?

Fordell School scores 84/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 10% in NZ nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.

What does the latest ERO review say?

ERO's 2025-02 review identified 5 key findings. Most learners, including Māori learners, are achieving at or above curriculum level expectations in mathematics and a large majority are achieving at or above curriculum level expectations in literacy; there is an identified disparity for boys in writing yet to be addressed by the school.

How do I enrol my child at Fordell School?

Contact the school directly on 06-3427828, email officeadmin@fordell.school.nz, or visit www.fordell.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?

Fordell School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.

What is the roll size?

Fordell School has 144 students, with an EQI of 455 (mid-range socio-economic context).

When was the school last reviewed by ERO?

The Education Review Office last reviewed Fordell School in 2025-02, signed by Sharon Kelly. 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.

Last updated

7 Feb 2025

Source documents

4 cited

Spot an error?

Report a correction

Sourced from

  • ero.govt.nz
  • web.archive.org
  • schoolsdata.co.nz
  • crimestats.co.nz