St Mary's Catholic School (Papakura)
54 Clark Road, Papakura · Auckland — South
Composite score
Strong
Top 10% in NZ
Rank #193 of scored NZ schools
Best suited for
Students in Papakura looking for a state-funded setting with a strong recent ERO trajectory.
Is St Mary's Catholic School (Papakura) a good school?
St Mary's Catholic School (Papakura) scores 85/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 10% in NZ 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.
standdowns 0.0/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · top 10% of band (n=518) · why? ▼ hide
+32.8% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · top 10% of band (n=515) · why? ▼ hide
67/100 from ERO review 2016-06 · 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): 67/100.
Latest ERO review
2022-12-06 · Filivaifale Jason Swann, Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
- Board of Trustees has attested to meeting all regulatory and legislative requirements as of May 2022
- Board Administration requirements confirmed
- Curriculum requirements confirmed
- Management of Health, Safety and Welfare requirements confirmed
- Personnel Management requirements confirmed
"As of May 2022, the St Mary's Catholic School (Papakura) Board of Trustees has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements"
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2012–2016. Click a point to read that review.
Trajectory across review cycles
Year-over-year change per dimension based on consecutive ERO reviews.
Governance improved in data use and scrutiny between 2012 and 2016. The 2012 report noted the board used self-review and analysed achievement information to identify priorities, while the 2016 report specifically highlighted that the "Board becoming more skilled at scrutinising and using data to inform decision-making," indicating measurable progress in this capability.
2012-11 → 2016-06 diff source
Leadership capability evolved from strong governance and curriculum alignment (2012) to more sophisticated data-driven decision-making and collective responsibility for achievement (2016). The board progressed from supporting the principal to becoming 'more skilled at scrutinising and using data,' though evaluative inquiry into teaching effectiveness remained an area for development.
2012-11 → 2016-06 diff source
Between 2012 and 2016, the school made progress on equity for Māori students, with 2016 reporting that "Māori children's achievement on par with non-Māori peers" and gains "especially in writing and mathematics." However, the school's overall score declined from 65 to 58, and the 2016 report identified that the school "has not identified specific targets for accelerating Māori learning as a distinct group" and needs to strengthen "evaluative inquiry into teaching practice effectiveness."
2012-11 → 2016-06 diff source
The curriculum focus shifted from alignment with NZ Curriculum principles and incorporating student interests (2012) to a more data-driven, inquiry-based approach targeting specific achievement gaps, particularly for boys, Pacific children, and Years 7-8 (2016). While 2012 emphasized strong curriculum design, 2016 reveals the school needed to strengthen evaluative inquiry into teaching practice effectiveness.
2012-11 → 2016-06 diff source
Between 2012 and 2016, the school shifted from having teachers implement "a variety of teaching and learning strategies to accelerate student progress" to establishing more systematic processes for identifying at-risk students and monitoring progress. However, the 2016 report identifies a need to strengthen "evaluative inquiry into teaching practice effectiveness and initiative impact," suggesting that while collaborative structures improved, direct assessment of teaching effectiveness had not yet been adequately developed.
2012-11 → 2016-06 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.
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.
Total Crown funding · 2022
$1.93M
Per-student funding · 2022
$5,109
2018
$1.8M
2019
$1.8M
2020
$1.9M
2021
$1.8M
2022
$1.9M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 58
- Year 02 67
- Year 03 66
- Year 04 59
- Year 05 52
- Year 06 39
- Year 07 11
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 45.4%
- Asian 33.7%
- Pacific 30.8%
- Māori 16.7%
- Other / MELAA 5.0%
Location
54 Clark Road, Papakura. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with St Mary's Catholic School (Papakura).
-
Papakura Central School
Contributing · 0.4km · 460 roll
65
-20 vs this
-
Kereru Park Campus
Full Primary · 0.4km · 183 roll
31
-54 vs this
-
Rosehill School
Specialist School · 0.5km · 334 roll
83
-2 vs this
-
Rosehill College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 0.6km · 1,659 roll
56
-29 vs this
-
Rosehill Intermediate
Intermediate · 0.8km · 388 roll
66
-19 vs this
-
Papakura Activity Centre
Activity Centre · 1km · roll n/a
90
+5 vs this
Frequently asked
Is St Mary's Catholic School (Papakura) a good school?
St Mary's Catholic School (Papakura) scores 85/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 10% in NZ 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 2022-12 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 Mary's Catholic School (Papakura)?
Contact the school directly on 09-2984450, email office@stmaryspapakura.school.nz, or visit www.stmaryspapakura.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 Mary's Catholic School (Papakura) is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
St Mary's Catholic School (Papakura) has 377 students, with an EQI of 425 (mid-range socio-economic context).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed St Mary's Catholic School (Papakura) in 2022-12, signed by Filivaifale Jason Swann. 5 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