Nelson College
Waimea Road, Nelson · Nelson, Marlborough & West Coast
Composite score
Established
Below median
Rank #1,595 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Nelson College's Board of Trustees was reviewed in September 2022 for board assurance. The review identified non-compliance regarding failure to consult with the community and adopt a statement on health curriculum delivery as required. The board has taken steps to address this. Board administration, curriculum management, and health, safety and welfare management were confirmed as compliant.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Nelson looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is Nelson College a good school?
Nelson College scores 60/100 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
- Board Administration confirmed compliant
- Curriculum management confirmed compliant
- Management of Health, Safety and Welfare confirmed compliant
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 85% · L2 80% · UE 50% · bottom quartile of band (n=81) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 30% · Te Pūkenga 12% · Industry 15% · above band median (n=77) · why? ▼ hide
80% to Y13 · bottom quartile of band (n=84) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 59.2/1k · suspensions 13.1/1k · exclusions 5.6/1k · bottom 10% of band (n=518) · why? ▼ hide
-3.8% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=515) · why? ▼ hide
85/100 from ERO review 2022-09 · top quartile of band (n=520) · 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
2022-09-09 · Dr Lesley Patterson, Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
- Board of Trustees has attested to regulatory and legislative requirements as of July 2022
- Non-compliance identified: failure to consult with community and adopt a statement on health curriculum delivery at least once every two years (Section 91 Education and Training Act 2020)
- Board has taken steps to address the identified area of non-compliance
"As of July 2022, the Nelson College Board of Trustees has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements"
Composite score across reviews
3 ERO reviews on file, 2016–2022. Click a point to read that review.
Audited financials
Year ended 2024 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$17.10M
Surplus / (deficit)
+$236k
Net assets / equity
$11.89M
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
85.3%
151 of 177 leavers
-6.5pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
79.7%
141 of 177 leavers
-1.4pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
49.7%
88 of 177 leavers
-5.6pt 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.
80.2%
2024 cohort · 177 students
-7.9pt 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
59.2
85 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
13.1
23 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
5.6
8 this year · NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Creative Industries 13
- Manufacturing and Technology 8
- Service Industries 7
- Construction and Infrastructure 3
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
$9.09M
Per-student funding · 2022
$9,581
2018
$9.0M
2019
$8.7M
2020
$9.6M
2021
$9.2M
2022
$9.1M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 09 212
- Year 10 211
- Year 11 206
- Year 12 199
- Year 13+ 152
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 73.0%
- Asian 17.7%
- Māori 16.5%
- Pacific 7.3%
- International 4.0%
- Other / MELAA 3.8%
International students
SIEBA member · Boarding available
Location
Waimea Road, Nelson. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Nelson College.
Nelson College (Prep Dept)
Intermediate · 0km · 96 roll
76
+16 vs this
Hampden Street School
Contributing · 0.2km · 449 roll
72
+12 vs this
Victory Primary School
Contributing · 0.6km · 371 roll
73
+13 vs this
Nelson Intermediate
Intermediate · 0.8km · 409 roll
42
-18 vs this
Nelson College For Girls Prep School
Intermediate · 0.9km · 96 roll
83
+23 vs this
Nelson College For Girls
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 0.9km · 921 roll
76
+16 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Nelson College a good school?
Nelson College scores 60/100 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 2022-09 review identified 3 key findings. Board of Trustees has attested to regulatory and legislative requirements as of July 2022
How do I enrol my child at Nelson College?
Contact the school directly on 03-5483099, email excellence@nelsoncollege.school.nz, or visit www.nelson.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?
Nelson College is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Nelson College has 949 students, with an EQI of 441 (mid-range socio-economic context). It is a boys school-only school.
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Nelson College in 2022-09, signed by Dr Lesley Patterson. 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
- nelson.school.nz
- sieba.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz