St Bernard's College
183 Waterloo Road, Lower Hutt · Wellington
See all schools in Lower Hutt →
Composite score
Established
Above median
Rank #895 of scored NZ schools
In summary
St Bernard's College was reviewed by ERO in 2022 on international student support and found to have sound processes supporting international students' settlement and belonging. The school maintains small numbers of international students and provides personalised pastoral care, academic tracking, and regular communication with families and staff. The school has a composite score of 85.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Lower Hutt looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is St Bernard's College a good school?
St Bernard's College 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
- Personalised pastoral care, academic tracking, and monitoring of international students
- Regular communication between teaching staff about international student progress through Programme Manager meetings
- Regular communication with parents of international students about their progress
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 91% · L2 86% · UE 56% · near band median (n=81) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 29% · Te Pūkenga 13% · Industry 13% · above band median (n=77) · why? ▼ hide
83% to Y13 · below band median (n=84) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 11.4/1k · suspensions 3.3/1k · exclusions 1.0/1k · near band median (n=518) · why? ▼ hide
+1.4% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=515) · why? ▼ hide
85/100 from ERO review 2022-09 · top quartile 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): 85/100.
Latest ERO review
2022-09-01 · Dr Lesley Patterson, Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
- St Bernard's College has attested compliance with all aspects of the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021
- Sound processes and practices support international students to settle into the school, develop a sense of belonging, and be active participants in school life
- The school keeps enrolment numbers of international students small and offers high standard of personalised pastoral care, academic tracking, and monitoring
- The International Student Programme Manager facilitates regular discussion of student progress between teaching staff to inform planning and differentiation
- The school's Board and leadership maintain a focus on cultural inclusiveness with commitment to Christian values and respectful relationships
"Sound processes and practices support students to settle into the school, develop a sense of belonging, and to be active participants in school life and the wider community."
Audited financials
Year ended 2024 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$8.51M
Surplus / (deficit)
$69k
Net assets / equity
$1.76M
2 years of audited data on file · View full history (Pro)
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
91.3%
95 of 104 leavers
+0.4pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
85.6%
89 of 104 leavers
+13.9pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
55.8%
58 of 104 leavers
+6.3pt 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.
82.7%
2024 cohort · 104 students
-4.2pt 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
11.4
12 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
3.3
4 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
1.0
1 this year · NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Creative 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
$6.17M
Per-student funding · 2022
$9,422
2018
$4.9M
2019
$5.1M
2020
$5.8M
2021
$6.0M
2022
$6.2M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 07 81
- Year 08 80
- Year 09 114
- Year 10 100
- Year 11 120
- Year 12 99
- Year 13+ 72
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 60.3%
- Māori 24.7%
- Pacific 22.0%
- Asian 17.9%
- Other / MELAA 3.4%
- International 0.2%
International students
SIEBA member · Day school only
Location
183 Waterloo Road, Lower Hutt. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with St Bernard's College.
Chilton Saint James School
Composite · 0.3km · 251 roll
61
-12 vs this
Eastern Hutt School
Contributing · 0.4km · 634 roll
68
-5 vs this
Hutt Intermediate
Intermediate · 0.6km · 599 roll
68
-5 vs this
St Oran's College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 0.7km · 507 roll
82
+9 vs this
Waterloo School
Contributing · 0.9km · 538 roll
61
-12 vs this
Sts Peter and Paul School (L Hutt)
Full Primary · 0.9km · 472 roll
78
+5 vs this
Frequently asked
Is St Bernard's College a good school?
St Bernard's College 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 2022-09 review identified 5 key findings. St Bernard's College has attested compliance with all aspects of the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021
How do I enrol my child at St Bernard's College?
Contact the school directly on 04-5609250, email office@sbc.school.nz, or visit www.sbc.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?
St Bernard's College is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
St Bernard's College has 655 students, with an EQI of 444 (mid-range socio-economic context). It is a boys school-only school.
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed St Bernard's 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
- sbc.school.nz
- sieba.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz