Iona College
42 Lucknow Road, Havelock North · Hawke's Bay & Gisborne
See all schools in Havelock North →
Composite score
Established
Top 25% in NZ
Rank #432 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Iona College's hostel provides a supportive environment with effective pastoral care systems and strong relationships between students and staff that foster a sense of belonging. Facilities offer privacy and spaces that support student needs. The school received a composite score of 85 from its October 2023 ERO review.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Havelock North looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is Iona College a good school?
Iona College scores 79/100 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
- Effective pastoral care systems and processes in place
- Strong positive relationships between students and hostel staff
- Facilities provide privacy and range of spaces that support student needs
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 98% · L2 98% · UE 96% · top 10% of band (n=66) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 30% · Te Pūkenga 7% · Industry 0% · bottom quartile of band (n=64) · why? ▼ hide
98% to Y13 · top 10% of band (n=66) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 2.0/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · near band median (n=536) · why? ▼ hide
+7.1% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · top quartile of band (n=534) · why? ▼ hide
85/100 from ERO review 2023-10 · top 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): 85/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-10-17 · Shelley Booysen, ERO
- A supportive environment focuses on students' wellbeing with effective pastoral care systems and processes in place
- Positive relationships between students and hostel staff creates a sense of belonging and community
- Facilities provide privacy and a range of spaces that support student needs
- Learning is well supported, and independence and self-confidence is fostered and supported with age-appropriate responsibilities
- Stakeholder feedback is sought with student voice acknowledged and contributing to continuous improvement
"A supportive environment focuses on students' wellbeing with effective pastoral care systems and processes in place."
Composite score across reviews
4 ERO reviews on file, 2016–2023. Click a point to read that review.
Trajectory across review cycles
Year-over-year change per dimension based on consecutive ERO reviews.
Both reports emphasize wellbeing as a key strength, but with a shift in focus. The 2016 report highlighted individual student care enabled by small class sizes and "comprehensive student wellbeing monitoring" in the hostel. The 2023 report frames wellbeing within a broader systemic approach, emphasizing "effective systematic and sustained school processes, practices and actions value wellbeing, student agency and academic success" within an inclusive culture.
2016-05 → 2023-10 diff source
Both reports rate leadership as effective, but with a notable shift in emphasis. The 2016 report highlighted the principal's individual strategic leadership and her assessment of school strengths/areas for change. The 2023 report broadens the focus to 'effective leadership that promotes the school vision and values' with emphasis on equitable opportunities and collective capacity-building, suggesting a more inclusive, systems-based leadership approach.
2016-05 → 2023-10 diff source
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
97.9%
47 of 48 leavers
-2.1pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
97.9%
47 of 48 leavers
-2.1pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
95.8%
46 of 48 leavers
-4.2pt 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.
97.9%
2024 cohort · 48 students
-2.1pt 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
2.0
1 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).
- Creative Industries 16
- Service Industries 5
- Primary Industries 1
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
$3.80M
Per-student funding · 2022
$11,397
2018
$3.0M
2019
$3.1M
2020
$3.4M
2021
$3.4M
2022
$3.8M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 07 29
- Year 08 30
- Year 09 57
- Year 10 58
- Year 11 58
- Year 12 53
- Year 13+ 47
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 92.2%
- Māori 12.0%
- Asian 5.4%
- Other / MELAA 2.7%
- International 2.1%
International students
SIEBA member · Boarding available
ESOL support
dedicated class
Years accepted
Years 7-13
Location
42 Lucknow Road, Havelock North. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Iona College.
Woodford House
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 0.6km · 384 roll
81
+2 vs this
Havelock North Primary School
Contributing · 0.9km · 603 roll
76
-3 vs this
Lucknow School
Contributing · 0.9km · 293 roll
68
-11 vs this
Hukarere Girls' College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 1.3km · 53 roll
57
-22 vs this
Hereworth School
Full Primary · 1.7km · 332 roll
85
+6 vs this
Havelock North High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 1.9km · 1,096 roll
77
-2 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Iona College a good school?
Iona College scores 79/100 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 2023-10 review identified 5 key findings. A supportive environment focuses on students' wellbeing with effective pastoral care systems and processes in place
How do I enrol my child at Iona College?
Contact the school directly on 06-8778149, email office@iona.school.nz, or visit www.iona.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?
Iona College is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Iona College has 333 students, with an EQI of 396 (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 Iona College in 2023-10, 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
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- sieba.nz
- iona.school.nz
- crimestats.co.nz