Pongakawa School
956 Old Coach Road, Pongakawa · Bay of Plenty
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Composite score
Established
Above median
Rank #711 of scored NZ schools
Best suited for
Students aged 5-11 in Pongakawa looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is Pongakawa School a good school?
Pongakawa School scores 76/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Above median nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- The systems, structures and capacity to pursue consistently equitable and excellent outcomes for all
- An environment where positive and respectful relationships within and beyond the school create a sense of belonging
- Leadership at all levels of the school that prioritises engaging with and responding to data to improve learner outcomes
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 5.2/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · above band median (n=518) · why? ▼ hide
-6.7% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · below band median (n=515) · why? ▼ hide
81/100 from ERO review 2019-02 · above band median (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): 81/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-08-07 · Shelley Booysen, ERO
- The school has systems, structures and capacity to pursue consistently equitable and excellent outcomes for all
- Positive and respectful relationships within and beyond the school create a sense of belonging
- Leadership at all levels prioritises engaging with and responding to data to improve learner outcomes
- ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which coherent, school-wide internal evaluation systems are supporting ongoing refinements
"leadership at all levels of the school that prioritises engaging with and responding to data to improve learner outcomes"
Audited financials
Year ended 2023 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$3.22M
Surplus / (deficit)
$25k
Net assets / equity
$1.91M
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
5.2
1 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
$2.48M
Per-student funding · 2022
$7,711
2018
$1.9M
2019
$2.1M
2020
$2.6M
2021
$2.2M
2022
$2.5M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 43
- Year 02 43
- Year 03 35
- Year 04 46
- Year 05 26
- Year 06 44
- Year 07 44
- Year 08 27
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 86.9%
- Māori 24.9%
- Asian 5.6%
- Other / MELAA 2.8%
- Pacific 2.5%
Location
956 Old Coach Road, Pongakawa. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Pongakawa School.
Paengaroa School
Contributing · 5.6km · 215 roll
80
+4 vs this
- no score yet
Pukehina School
Full Primary · 5.9km · 20 roll
Maketu School
Contributing · 8.6km · 48 roll
55
-21 vs this
Otamarakau School
Full Primary · 9.8km · 79 roll
41
-35 vs this
Rangiuru School
Full Primary · 10.3km · 75 roll
69
-7 vs this
TKKM o Te Matai
Full Primary · 11.5km · 47 roll
70
-6 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Pongakawa School a good school?
Pongakawa School scores 76/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Above median nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2023-08 review identified 4 key findings. The school has systems, structures and capacity to pursue consistently equitable and excellent outcomes for all
How do I enrol my child at Pongakawa School?
Contact the school directly on 07-5333731, email office@pongakawa.school.nz, or visit www.pongakawa.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?
Pongakawa School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Pongakawa School has 321 students, with an EQI of 448 (mid-range socio-economic context).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Pongakawa School in 2023-08, 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
- web.archive.org
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz