Skip to content
s schoolsnearme.co.nz
Full Primary · State : Integrated

St Joseph's School (Opunake)

59 Allison Street, Opunake · Taranaki & Manawatū

See all schools in Opunake →

Total roll 123
EQI 441
Founded 1902
85

Composite score

Strong

A

Top 10% in NZ

Rank #192 of scored NZ schools

Active MoE intervention — limited statutory manager

A limited statutory manager has been appointed to St Joseph's School (Opunake) . NZ Gazette notice

In summary

St Joseph's School's 2020 ERO review found student achievement trends from 2017 to 2019 showed purposeful promotion of equity and excellence, with over a third of students achieving above expectation in mathematics and close to half in reading by end of 2019. Strengths included a localised curriculum aligned to New Zealand Curriculum principles, inclusive practices supporting students with complex needs, and teacher capability building. The school currently has an active limited statutory manager appointment.

Best suited for

Students aged 5-11 in Opunake looking for a state-funded setting with a strong recent ERO trajectory.

Is St Joseph's School (Opunake) a good school?

St Joseph's School (Opunake) is currently under MoE intervention — a limited statutory manager has been appointed. The school's day-to-day teaching continues; the intervention addresses governance or operational concerns identified by the Ministry. Read the NZ Gazette notice for details.

Strengths from the latest ERO report

  • The localised curriculum that is aligned to the principles of The New Zealand Curriculum, and the school's faith principles
  • School practices that enable students with complex needs to fully participate and learn in an inclusive and conducive environment
  • Building individual teachers' capability and the school's capacity that improve outcomes for learners

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 16.6/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · near band median (n=518) · 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: near band median (n=518).
83
Trajectory
25%
+34.5% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · top 10% of band (n=515) · why?
5-year change in total roll. −20% → 0 score, 0% → 50, +20% → 100. Source: Education Counts roll history. Year: 2025. Peer comparison: top 10% of band (n=515).
93
ERO review
40%
82/100 from ERO review 2020-06 · above band median (n=520) · 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: 2020. Peer comparison: above band median (n=520).
82

⚠ 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): 82/100.

Latest ERO review

2020-06-26 · Darcy Te Hau, Central Region - Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

ERO report
  • Student achievement trends from 2017 to 2019 show the school's processes and practices purposefully promote equity and excellence for students
  • Over a third of students achieving above expectation in mathematics and close to half in reading by end of 2019
  • Many students targeted in reading and mathematics in 2019 accelerated their learning and progress
  • Significant collaborative inquiry during 2019 to meaningfully include te reo Māori and te ao Māori was successful and contributed positively to culturally responsive education for Māori learners
  • Non-compliance identified in health, safety and welfare relating to managing challenging behaviour and physical restraint policies
"Student achievement trends from 2017 to 2019 show the school's processes and practices purposefully promote equity and excellence for students"
— ERO, 2020-06-26 (achievement)

Composite score across reviews

2 ERO reviews on file, 2016–2020. Click a point to read that review.

latest 82
0 25 50 75 100 20162020 2016-08-10 · 71/100 2020-06-26 · 82/100

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

16.6

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.

Education Counts

Total Crown funding · 2022

$0.69M

Per-student funding · 2022

$5,649

2018

$0.7M

2019

$0.7M

2020

$0.7M

2021

$0.7M

2022

$0.7M

Roll by year level

July 2025 roll return.

Education Counts
  • Year 01
    16
  • Year 02
    16
  • Year 03
    10
  • Year 04
    14
  • Year 05
    12
  • Year 06
    17
  • Year 07
    13
  • Year 08
    15

Roll by ethnicity

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

Education Counts
  • European/Pākehā
    78.9%
  • Māori
    25.2%
  • Asian
    17.1%
  • Pacific
    3.3%
  • Other / MELAA
    3.3%

Location

59 Allison Street, Opunake. Nearby schools marked in grey.

Open in Google Maps →

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO

Loading Opunake context…

Frequently asked

Is St Joseph's School (Opunake) a good school?

St Joseph's School (Opunake) is currently under MoE intervention — a limited statutory manager has been appointed. The school's day-to-day teaching continues; the intervention addresses governance or operational concerns identified by the Ministry. Read the NZ Gazette notice for details.

What does the latest ERO review say?

ERO's 2020-06 review identified 5 key findings. Student achievement trends from 2017 to 2019 show the school's processes and practices purposefully promote equity and excellence for students

How do I enrol my child at St Joseph's School (Opunake)?

Contact the school directly on 06-7618388, email office@stjo.school.nz, or visit www.stjo.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 Joseph's School (Opunake) is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.

What is the roll size?

St Joseph's School (Opunake) has 123 students, with an EQI of 441 (mid-range socio-economic context).

When was the school last reviewed by ERO?

The Education Review Office last reviewed St Joseph's School (Opunake) in 2020-06, signed by Darcy Te Hau. 2 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

26 Jun 2020

Source documents

4 cited

Spot an error?

Report a correction

Sourced from

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