Ruru Special School
Ruru Street, Invercargill · Otago & Southland
See all schools in Invercargill →
Composite score
Established
Above median
Rank #962 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Ruru Special School's board attested to meeting all regulatory and legislative requirements as of March 2024, with board administration and curriculum requirements confirmed. The school is a specialist facility serving 123 students in Invercargill. No composite score is currently available.
Best suited for
Students in Invercargill looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is Ruru Special School a good school?
Ruru Special School scores 73/100 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
- Well-targeted individual goals and collective transdisciplinary planning with high staff expectations for students
- Collaborative, collegial, and supportive school culture focusing on seamless schoolwide teaching approaches
- Integrated therapy team expertise supporting individual wellbeing and learning needs
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 45.7/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · near band median (n=539) · why? ▼ hide
+27.7% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · top quartile of band (n=524) · why? ▼ hide
81/100 from ERO review 2024-04 · top quartile of band (n=544) · 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
2024-04-02 · Shelley Booysen, ERO
- Student outcomes are supported by well-targeted individual goals and collective transdisciplinary planning reflecting high staff expectations
- A collaborative, collegial, and supportive school culture with seamless schoolwide teaching approaches and integrated therapy team perspectives
- Schoolwide practices effectively support calm and settled environments with programmes promoting engagement and strong sense of wellbeing and belonging
- Effective school systems and processes promote shared understanding, clear expectations and clearly articulated school direction
- Leadership is effective, knowledgeable, supportive, reflective and responsive through regular reviewing, monitoring and refining practices
"Effective and knowledgeable leadership that is supportive, reflective, and responsive to identified needs through regular reviewing, monitoring and refining practices."
Composite score across reviews
3 ERO reviews on file, 2016–2024. Click a point to read that review.
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
18.8%
3 of 16 leavers
-38.3pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
6.3%
1 of 16 leavers
-8.0pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
0.0%
0 of 16 leavers
0.0pt 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.
87.5%
2024 cohort · 16 students
-12.5pt 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
45.7
5 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 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
$3.14M
Per-student funding · 2022
$25,505
2018
$1.9M
2019
$2.0M
2020
$2.7M
2021
$2.9M
2022
$3.1M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 6
- Year 02 11
- Year 03 4
- Year 04 5
- Year 05 4
- Year 06 5
- Year 07 12
- Year 08 10
- Year 09 12
- Year 10 7
- Year 11 11
- Year 12 8
- Year 13+ 25
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 65.9%
- Māori 32.5%
- Pacific 9.8%
- Asian 5.7%
- Other / MELAA 3.3%
Location
Ruru Street, Invercargill. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Ruru Special School.
Southland Adventist Christian School
Full Primary · 0.1km · 118 roll
90
+17 vs this
Donovan Primary School
Contributing · 0.5km · 390 roll
70
-3 vs this
Sacred Heart School (Waikiwi)
Contributing · 0.8km · 81 roll
40
-33 vs this
Waihopai School
Contributing · 2.2km · 367 roll
78
+5 vs this
Southland Boys' High School
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 2.3km · 1,032 roll
57
-16 vs this
Windsor North School
Contributing · 2.4km · 323 roll
43
-30 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Ruru Special School a good school?
Ruru Special School scores 73/100 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 2024-04 review identified 6 key findings. Student outcomes are supported by well-targeted individual goals and collective transdisciplinary planning reflecting high staff expectations
How do I enrol my child at Ruru Special School?
Contact the school directly on 03-2159379, email angela@rurued.school.nz, or visit www.rurued.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?
Ruru Special School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Ruru Special School has 123 students, with an EQI of 519 (higher socio-economic need).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Ruru Special School in 2024-04, 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
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz