Northern Southland College
Maria Street, Lumsden · Otago & Southland
Composite score
Developing
Below median
Rank #1,744 of scored NZ schools
In summary
An ERO review in 2022 found the college has a welcoming, inclusive culture with staff who know students and whānau well. Key areas for development include raising achievement consistently across all student groups, improving use of data gathering, and strengthening self-review processes. The college works effectively in partnership with external groups and the community.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Lumsden looking for a state-funded setting.
Is Northern Southland College a good school?
Northern Southland College scores 56/100 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
- A welcoming and inclusive culture
- Staff who know students, their whānau and the community well
- The ways in which the school develops and works in partnership with external groups and individuals, including community support for the school's curriculum
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 92% · L2 87% · UE 35% · above band median (n=84) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 2% · Te Pūkenga 4% · Industry 5% · bottom quartile of band (n=81) · why? ▼ hide
62% to Y13 · bottom 10% of band (n=86) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 25.3/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · near band median (n=404) · why? ▼ hide
-0.5% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=403) · why? ▼ hide
77/100 from ERO review 2017-12 · near band median (n=406) · 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): 77/100.
Latest ERO review
2022-09-09 · Dr Lesley Patterson, Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
- The college has identified that raising achievement needs to be a consistent focus, with some groups of students not achieving as well as others
- Senior leaders have identified that better use could be made of the ways the college currently gathers data
- Self review (internal evaluation) needs to be strengthened
- The school is working to improve raising boys' achievement and engagement to improve parity with girls
"senior leaders have identified that better use could be made of the ways the college currently gathers data"
Audited financials
Year ended 2022 · Audit opinion: n/a
Total revenue
$3.68M
Surplus / (deficit)
+$20k
Net assets / equity
$1.60M
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
91.9%
34 of 37 leavers
+15.2pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
86.5%
32 of 37 leavers
+19.8pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
35.1%
13 of 37 leavers
-8.2pt 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.
62.2%
2024 cohort · 37 students
-7.8pt 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
25.3
8 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).
- Service Industries 4
- 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
$3.22M
Per-student funding · 2022
$15,942
2018
$2.2M
2019
$2.6M
2020
$3.2M
2021
$3.4M
2022
$3.2M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 07 36
- Year 08 38
- Year 09 30
- Year 10 23
- Year 11 26
- Year 12 34
- Year 13+ 15
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 67.3%
- Asian 23.3%
- Māori 16.8%
- Pacific 3.5%
- Other / MELAA 2.0%
Location
Maria Street, Lumsden. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Northern Southland College.
Frequently asked
Is Northern Southland College a good school?
Northern Southland College scores 56/100 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 4 key findings. The college has identified that raising achievement needs to be a consistent focus, with some groups of students not achieving as well as others
How do I enrol my child at Northern Southland College?
Contact the school directly on 03-2487121, email office@nsc.school.nz, or visit www.nsc.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?
Northern Southland College is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Northern Southland College has 202 students, with an EQI of 464 (mid-range socio-economic context).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Northern Southland College in 2022-09, signed by Dr Lesley Patterson. 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.
Sourced from
- ero.govt.nz
- web.archive.org
- schoolsdata.co.nz