Riccarton High School
31 Vicki Street, Sockburn · Canterbury
Composite score
Established
Below median
Rank #1,319 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Riccarton High School has a composite score of 60. The school's leadership is pursuing improvement priorities focused on meeting diverse student needs and fostering an inclusive community. Most school leavers attain NCEA Level 2, with about half attaining Level 3; the school is working to improve equity outcomes for Māori leavers. Strengths include good progress for students learning English as a second language, effective targeted support programmes for junior students, and strong transition support for students on employment and vocational pathways.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Sockburn looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is Riccarton High School a good school?
Riccarton High School scores 66/100 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 sets and pursues school improvement priorities focused on meeting diverse needs of students and fostering inclusive community
- Students learning English as a second language make good progress; junior students needing support gain foundation skills through targeted programmes
- Students on pathways to employment and vocational training are well supported to transition successfully
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 86% · L2 74% · UE 55% · bottom quartile of band (n=81) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 33% · Te Pūkenga 12% · Industry 4% · below band median (n=77) · why? ▼ hide
83% to Y13 · below band median (n=84) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 14.9/1k · suspensions 6.3/1k · exclusions 1.8/1k · below band median (n=518) · why? ▼ hide
+1.7% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=515) · why? ▼ hide
60/100 from ERO review 2024-07 · bottom 10% 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): 60/100.
Latest ERO review
2024-07-09 · Shelley Booysen, ERO
- Most school leavers attain NCEA Level 2, about half attain NCEA Level 3; further work needed to improve equity for Māori leavers
- Leadership is developing evaluative practices to know about the impact of strategies to improve student outcomes
- Curriculum increasingly reflects local contexts and students can see themselves, their identity and culture
- School-wide strategies for literacy and mathematics are strengthening; effective collection and analysis of Years 9-10 assessment is a next step
- The majority of students attend school regularly, although not yet at levels recommended by the Ministry of Education
"Leadership sets and pursues school improvement priorities focused on meeting the diverse needs of students and fostering an inclusive school community."
Composite score across reviews
3 ERO reviews on file, 2018–2024. Click a point to read that review.
Audited financials
Year ended 2022 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$12.06M
Surplus / (deficit)
+$15k
Net assets / equity
$2.76M
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
86.3%
164 of 190 leavers
-0.6pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
73.7%
140 of 190 leavers
-1.7pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
54.7%
104 of 190 leavers
+6.0pt 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.
82.6%
2024 cohort · 190 students
+0.2pt 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
14.9
25 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
6.3
13 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
1.8
3 this year · NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Creative Industries 3
- Service Industries 2
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
$11.41M
Per-student funding · 2022
$10,343
2018
$7.9M
2019
$8.2M
2020
$9.5M
2021
$9.5M
2022
$11.4M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 09 210
- Year 10 224
- Year 11 234
- Year 12 244
- Year 13+ 220
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- Asian 51.1%
- European/Pākehā 34.5%
- Māori 10.6%
- Pacific 8.7%
- Other / MELAA 7.2%
- International 3.7%
International students
SIEBA member · Day school only
ESOL support
partial
Location
31 Vicki Street, Sockburn. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Riccarton High School.
Te Kāpehu Riccarton School
Full Primary · 0.3km · 379 roll
64
-2 vs this
Our Lady of Victories
Full Primary · 0.6km · 270 roll
85
+19 vs this
Middleton Grange School
Composite · 0.8km · 1,365 roll
79
+13 vs this
Villa Maria College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 0.8km · 817 roll
86
+20 vs this
St Thomas of Canterbury College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 0.9km · 683 roll
80
+14 vs this
Avonhead School - Rakipaoa
Full Primary · 1.4km · 630 roll
79
+13 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Riccarton High School a good school?
Riccarton High School scores 66/100 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 2024-07 review identified 5 key findings. Most school leavers attain NCEA Level 2, about half attain NCEA Level 3; further work needed to improve equity for Māori leavers
How do I enrol my child at Riccarton High School?
Contact the school directly on 03-3485073, email info@riccarton.school.nz, or visit www.riccarton.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?
Riccarton High School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Riccarton High School has 1,103 students, with an EQI of 440 (mid-range socio-economic context).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Riccarton High School in 2024-07, signed by Shelley Booysen. 4 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
- riccarton.school.nz
- sieba.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz