John Paul College
Whitworth Road, Utuhina · Bay of Plenty
Composite score
Strong
Top 25% in NZ
Rank #331 of scored NZ schools
In summary
John Paul College's 2024 ERO review found almost all students achieve NCEA Levels 1 to 3 with high proportions of Merit and Excellence endorsements, with equitable outcomes for Māori students. Leadership is increasingly effective and has a clear vision for strengthening bicultural practices and students' sense of belonging. The school maintains settled, learning-focused classrooms with established routines and respectful relationships, though just over half of students attend school regularly. Composite score: 72.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Utuhina looking for a state-funded setting with a strong recent ERO trajectory.
Is John Paul College a good school?
John Paul College scores 81/100 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
- Leadership articulates a clear vision for increasing Māori students' sense of belonging and implements action plans to strengthen bicultural practices
- Almost all students achieve NCEA Levels 1 to 3 with high proportions of Merit and Excellence endorsements
- Clearly established routines and respectful relationships among teachers and students contribute to settled, learning-focused classrooms
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 99% · L2 96% · UE 83% · above band median (n=66) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 44% · Te Pūkenga 13% · Industry 10% · near band median (n=64) · why? ▼ hide
92% to Y13 · below band median (n=66) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 7.0/1k · suspensions 2.6/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · below band median (n=536) · why? ▼ hide
-7.5% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · below band median (n=534) · why? ▼ hide
72/100 from ERO review 2024-09 · bottom 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): 72/100.
Latest ERO review
2024-09-06 · Shelley Booysen, ERO
- Almost all students achieve in NCEA Levels 1 to 3, with a high proportion of Merit and Excellence endorsements
- Leadership is increasingly effective in strengthening school conditions to improve outcomes for all learners
- NCEA outcomes are equitable for all students, including Māori, though just over half of students attend school regularly
- School governance and senior leadership structures have been reviewed and strengthened to provide increased representation of tangata whenua
- Students experience learning opportunities that increasingly acknowledge and reflect local area and bicultural contexts; this remains an area for further development
"Leadership is increasingly effective in strengthening school conditions to improve outcomes for all learners."
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2024–2024. Click a point to read that review.
Audited financials
Year ended 2024 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$14.07M
Surplus / (deficit)
+$216k
Net assets / equity
$3.25M
2 years of audited data on file · View full history (Pro)
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
99.3%
138 of 139 leavers
+1.1pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
96.4%
134 of 139 leavers
+3.5pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
82.7%
115 of 139 leavers
+6.5pt 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.
92.1%
2024 cohort · 139 students
+2.2pt 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
7.0
12 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
2.6
5 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
0.0
· NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Service Industries 13
- Construction and Infrastructure 2
- Creative Industries 2
- Manufacturing and Technology 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
$9.87M
Per-student funding · 2022
$8,998
2018
$7.7M
2019
$8.0M
2020
$9.1M
2021
$9.3M
2022
$9.9M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 07 156
- Year 08 161
- Year 09 174
- Year 10 165
- Year 11 167
- Year 12 162
- Year 13+ 132
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 64.3%
- Asian 27.5%
- Māori 18.2%
- Other / MELAA 5.2%
- Pacific 4.0%
- International 1.5%
International students
SIEBA member · Day school only
Location
Whitworth Road, Utuhina. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with John Paul College.
Malfroy School
Contributing · 0.5km · 299 roll
71
-10 vs this
TKKM o Hurungaterangi
Composite · 0.6km · 91 roll
88
+7 vs this
Sunset Primary School
Contributing · 0.7km · 158 roll
44
-37 vs this
Rotorua Girls' High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 0.9km · 595 roll
52
-29 vs this
Rotorua Boys' High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 0.9km · 1,106 roll
63
-18 vs this
Awhina School/ Activity Centre
Activity Centre · 1.2km · roll n/a
81
0 vs this
Frequently asked
Is John Paul College a good school?
John Paul College scores 81/100 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 2024-09 review identified 5 key findings. Almost all students achieve in NCEA Levels 1 to 3, with a high proportion of Merit and Excellence endorsements
How do I enrol my child at John Paul College?
Contact the school directly on 07-3478795, email info@jpc.school.nz, or visit www.jpc.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?
John Paul College is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
John Paul College has 1,097 students, with an EQI of 415 (lower socio-economic need).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed John Paul College in 2024-09, 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
- jpc.school.nz
- sieba.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz