Palmerston School
Stromness Street, Palmerston · Otago & Southland
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Composite score
Developing
Below median
Rank #1,698 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Palmerston School received a Te Ara Huarau review in July 2023. The school demonstrates clear leadership systems supporting inquiry-based culture, a cohesive local curriculum framework, and collaborative teaching practices that build on internal expertise. The school's composite score is 72.
Best suited for
Students in Palmerston looking for a state-funded setting.
Is Palmerston School a good school?
Palmerston School scores 58/100 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
- Leadership has developed clear systems and processes that support a building school culture of inquiry to inform next steps for improvement
- The school's local curriculum framework ensures cohesive, integrated school-wide curriculum design that provides clarity and direction for effective teaching and learning
- A collaborative teaching team, who make use of internal expertise to grow their collective capabilities and develop local solutions
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.
standdowns 49.4/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · below band median (n=404) · why? ▼ hide
-2.8% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=403) · why? ▼ hide
72/100 from ERO review 2023-07 · below 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): 72/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-07-29 · Shelley Booysen, ERO
- Leadership has developed clear systems and processes that support a building school culture of inquiry to inform next steps for improvement
- The school's local curriculum framework ensures cohesive, integrated school-wide curriculum design that provides clarity and direction for effective teaching and learning
- A collaborative teaching team makes use of internal expertise to grow their collective capabilities and develop local solutions
- ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively schoolwide data assessment practices are informing teaching, learning and planning for continuous improvement
"leadership has developed clear systems and processes that support a building school culture of inquiry to inform next steps for improvement"
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2018–2023. Click a point to read that review.
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
49.4
2 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
0.0
· 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.
Total Crown funding · 2022
$1.01M
Per-student funding · 2022
$9,241
2018
$0.8M
2019
$0.7M
2020
$0.8M
2021
$0.9M
2022
$1.0M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 12
- Year 02 22
- Year 03 14
- Year 04 22
- Year 05 16
- Year 06 18
- Year 07 2
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 86.2%
- Māori 28.4%
- Pacific 3.7%
- Other / MELAA 3.7%
- Asian 1.8%
Location
Stromness Street, Palmerston. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Palmerston School.
Frequently asked
Is Palmerston School a good school?
Palmerston School scores 58/100 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 2023-07 review identified 4 key findings. Leadership has developed clear systems and processes that support a building school culture of inquiry to inform next steps for improvement
How do I enrol my child at Palmerston School?
Contact the school directly on 03-4651361, email office@palmerston.school.nz, or visit www.palmerston.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?
Palmerston School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Palmerston School has 109 students, with an EQI of 461 (mid-range socio-economic context).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Palmerston School in 2023-07, signed by Shelley Booysen. 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
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz