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Contributing · State : Integrated

St Francis Xavier School (Mornington)

27 Benhar Street, Mornington · Otago & Southland

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Total roll 109
EQI 387
Founded 1919
73

Composite score

Established

B+

Above median

Rank #956 of scored NZ schools

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State-integrated school State-integrated Catholic Co-educational Contributing Primary (Years 1-6) EQI 387 (low need) Reviewed by Dr Lesley Patterson (47-school portfolio)

In summary

St Francis Xavier School (Mornington) is a contributing primary school serving 109 students in the Dunedin area. The school's 2022 ERO review found high-quality teaching practice, effective staff collaboration within the school and Dunedin Catholic Schools Kāhui Āko, and significant pastoral care for students and families. The school has introduced Structured Literacy as its main approach to teaching reading and writing under new experienced leadership that began in October 2021.

Best suited for

Students in Mornington looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.

Is St Francis Xavier School (Mornington) a good school?

St Francis Xavier School (Mornington) scores 73/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Above median nationally. ERO trajectory has declined across recent review cycles. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.

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.

How this is computed
Wellbeing
35%
standdowns 0.0/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · top 10% of band (n=536) · why?
Composite of stand-downs, suspensions, and exclusions per 1,000 students (lower is better). Formula: standdowns/1k + 2× suspensions/1k + 5× exclusions/1k. Small primary schools with no rows score top of band ("no incidents reported"). Source: Education Counts student engagement. Year: 2024. Peer comparison: top 10% of band (n=536).
100
Trajectory
25%
-13.8% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · bottom quartile of band (n=534) · why?
5-year change in total roll. −20% → 0 score, 0% → 50, +20% → 100. Source: Education Counts roll history. Year: 2025. Peer comparison: bottom quartile of band (n=534).
33
ERO review
40%
75/100 from ERO review 2022-08 · below band median (n=539) · why?
Composite score from the most recent Education Review Office report (Haiku-extracted 0–100 from the published review text). For primary schools this is the heaviest axis (40%) because NCEA-style outcomes data isn't applicable. Source: ERO via Wayback archive. Year: 2022. Peer comparison: below band median (n=539).
75

⚠ 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): 75/100.

Latest ERO review

2022-08-09 · Dr Lesley Patterson, Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

ERO report
  • Board of Trustees has attested to meeting all regulatory and legislative requirements as of May 2022
  • Board Administration requirements met
  • Curriculum requirements met
  • Management of Health, Safety and Welfare requirements met
  • Personnel Management and Finance requirements met
"As of May 2022, the St Francis Xavier School (Mornington) Board of Trustees has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:"
— ERO, 2022-08-09 (governance)

Composite score across reviews

2 ERO reviews on file, 2017–2022. Click a point to read that review.

latest 75
0 25 50 75 100 20172022 2017-05-08 · 81/100 2022-08-09 · 75/100

Trajectory across review cycles

Year-over-year change per dimension based on consecutive ERO reviews.

equity 85 → 75 (-10)

Both reports affirm the school's commitment to equity, but the framing shifted from demonstrated achievement to aspirational intent. The 2017 report emphasized 'successfully achieving equitable educational outcomes' with 'very effective support' for Māori and children needing extra help; the 2022 report positions equity as a strategic priority ('wants equitable opportunities for all students to learn') under new leadership, with less explicit evidence of past achievement outcomes.

2017-05 → 2022-08 diff source

teaching 80 → 75 (-5)

The school shifted from a broad, integrated curriculum with flexible, responsive teaching approaches to a structured literacy focus. In 2017, teaching was characterized by teachers 'sharing ideas and resources, trialing approaches responsive to children's strengths,' but by 2022, the school had 'introduced 'Structured Literacy' as the main approach to teaching reading and writing' with an expectation of consistency throughout the school.

2017-05 → 2022-08 diff source

Discipline (age-standardised, per 1,000 students)

Stand-down = sent home temporarily. Suspension = formal investigation. Exclusion = removed from school. National averages shown for comparison.

Education Counts

Stand-downs · 2024

0.0

· 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.

Education Counts

Total Crown funding · 2022

$0.85M

Per-student funding · 2022

$7,773

2018

$0.7M

2019

$0.8M

2020

$0.9M

2021

$0.9M

2022

$0.8M

Roll by year level

July 2025 roll return.

Education Counts
  • Year 01
    10
  • Year 02
    20
  • Year 03
    18
  • Year 04
    17
  • Year 05
    17
  • Year 06
    16
  • Year 07
    2

Roll by ethnicity

Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.

Education Counts
  • European/Pākehā
    61.5%
  • Asian
    37.6%
  • Māori
    6.4%
  • Other / MELAA
    2.8%
  • Pacific
    0.9%

Location

27 Benhar Street, Mornington. Nearby schools marked in grey.

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Frequently asked

Is St Francis Xavier School (Mornington) a good school?

St Francis Xavier School (Mornington) scores 73/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Above median nationally. ERO trajectory has declined across recent review cycles. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.

What does the latest ERO review say?

ERO's 2022-08 review identified 6 key findings. Board of Trustees has attested to meeting all regulatory and legislative requirements as of May 2022

How do I enrol my child at St Francis Xavier School (Mornington)?

Contact the school directly on 03-4534446, email office@stfrancisxavier.school.nz, or visit www.stfrancisxavier.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 Francis Xavier School (Mornington) is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.

What is the roll size?

St Francis Xavier School (Mornington) has 109 students, with an EQI of 387 (lower socio-economic need).

When was the school last reviewed by ERO?

The Education Review Office last reviewed St Francis Xavier School (Mornington) in 2022-08, 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.

Last updated

9 Aug 2022

Source documents

3 cited

Spot an error?

Report a correction

Sourced from

  • ero.govt.nz
  • schoolsdata.co.nz
  • crimestats.co.nz