Skip to content
s schoolsnearme.co.nz
Full Primary · State

Merrin School Ngā Whetū Kohara

41 Merrin Street, Avonhead · Canterbury

See all schools in Avonhead →

Total roll 478
EQI 398
Founded 1965
55

Composite score

Developing

C+

Below median

Rank #1,811 of scored NZ schools

In summary

Merrin School Ngā Whetū Kohara's most recent ERO review (November 2024) found most students are achieving at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics, with inclusion and wellbeing practices supporting strong belonging. The school board is well-informed about progress across curriculum areas, and leaders ensure professional development aligns with improvement priorities. Improving equity in achievement for Māori and Pacific students remains a priority.

Best suited for

Students aged 5-11 in Avonhead looking for a state-funded setting.

Is Merrin School Ngā Whetū Kohara a good school?

Merrin School Ngā Whetū Kohara scores 55/100 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

  • School board is well informed by leaders about progress and achievement for all students across curriculum areas
  • Leaders ensure professional development is effective and aligned to improvement priorities and strengthens teaching practice quality and consistency
  • Leaders and teachers deliberately set appropriate expectations for high quality, evidence-based teaching approaches

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 50.4/1k · suspensions 4.9/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · bottom 10% of band (n=536) · 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: bottom 10% of band (n=536).
40
Trajectory
25%
-8.4% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · below band median (n=534) · why?
5-year change in total roll. −20% → 0 score, 0% → 50, +20% → 100. Source: Education Counts roll history. Year: 2025. Peer comparison: below band median (n=534).
40
ERO review
40%
78/100 from ERO review 2024-11 · below band median (n=539) · 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: 2024. Peer comparison: below band median (n=539).
78

⚠ 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): 78/100.

Latest ERO review

2024-11-05 · Shelley Booysen, ERO

ERO report
  • Most students are achieving at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics with increasing equity between groups of learners
  • Improving equity in achievement for Māori and Pacific students in reading, writing and mathematics remains a priority
  • Inclusion and wellbeing practices support children to have a strong sense of belonging
  • Strategic and collaborative leadership foster a learning culture committed to high quality teaching
  • A large majority of students attend school regularly; the school is yet to achieve the Ministry of Education 2024 attendance target
"Strategic and collaborative leadership foster a learning culture committed to high quality teaching."
— ERO, 2024-11-05 (leadership)

Composite score across reviews

4 ERO reviews on file, 2015–2024. Click a point to read that review.

latest 85
0 25 50 75 100 2015201920242024 2015-11-02 · 83/100 2019-05-29 · 81/100 2024-11-05 · 78/100 2024-11-05 · 85/100

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

50.4

15 this year · NZ avg ~37

Suspensions · 2024

4.9

1 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.

Education Counts

Total Crown funding · 2022

$7.50M

Per-student funding · 2022

$15,690

2018

$2.6M

2019

$2.8M

2020

$3.3M

2021

$5.8M

2022

$7.5M

Roll by year level

July 2025 roll return.

Education Counts
  • Year 01
    47
  • Year 02
    52
  • Year 03
    63
  • Year 04
    48
  • Year 05
    64
  • Year 06
    57
  • Year 07
    66
  • Year 08
    61

Roll by ethnicity

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

Education Counts
  • Asian
    53.6%
  • European/Pākehā
    41.0%
  • Māori
    9.4%
  • Pacific
    5.4%
  • Other / MELAA
    5.4%
  • International
    0.8%

Location

41 Merrin Street, Avonhead. Nearby schools marked in grey.

Open in Google Maps →

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO

Loading Avonhead context…

Frequently asked

Is Merrin School Ngā Whetū Kohara a good school?

Merrin School Ngā Whetū Kohara scores 55/100 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 2024-11 review identified 5 key findings. Most students are achieving at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics with increasing equity between groups of learners

How do I enrol my child at Merrin School Ngā Whetū Kohara?

Contact the school directly on 03-3588369, email office@merrin.school.nz, or visit www.merrin.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?

Merrin School Ngā Whetū Kohara is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.

What is the roll size?

Merrin School Ngā Whetū Kohara has 478 students, with an EQI of 398 (lower socio-economic need).

When was the school last reviewed by ERO?

The Education Review Office last reviewed Merrin School Ngā Whetū Kohara in 2024-11, 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.

Last updated

5 Nov 2024

Source documents

3 cited

Spot an error?

Report a correction

Sourced from

  • ero.govt.nz
  • schoolsdata.co.nz
  • crimestats.co.nz