St Mary's College (Wellington)
15 Guildford Terrace, Wellington CBD
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Composite score
Strong
Top 10% in NZ
Rank #198 of scored NZ schools
In summary
St Mary's College is a secondary school in Wellington CBD serving 550 students from Year 9-15. The 2022 ERO review found strengths in the school's commitment to equity and excellence, special character support, and pastoral care. Key areas for development include improving achievement outcomes for Māori and Pacific students in NCEA and increasing their participation in senior STEM subjects, though Year 9 Mathematics showed positive progress for these learners in a non-streamed, student-centred approach.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Wellington CBD looking for a state-funded setting with a strong recent ERO trajectory.
Is St Mary's College (Wellington) a good school?
St Mary's College (Wellington) scores 84/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 10% in NZ nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- Commitment to equity and excellence which is closely linked to the college's graduate profile
- The importance of the college's special character which supports resilience in students
- Strong pastoral care and home school partnerships that foster family and whānau connections to the college
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 100% · L2 96% · UE 89% · top 10% of band (n=81) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 56% · Te Pūkenga 6% · Industry 5% · top 10% of band (n=77) · why? ▼ hide
95% to Y13 · top 10% of band (n=84) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 2.3/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · above band median (n=518) · why? ▼ hide
-9.8% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · below band median (n=515) · why? ▼ hide
84/100 from ERO review 2017-08 · 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): 84/100.
Latest ERO review
2022-11-16 · Dr Lesley Patterson, Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
- Māori and Pacific students have not been achieving proportionally as many excellences in NCEA Levels 1 to 3 as other learners at these levels
- Small numbers of Māori and Pacific learners are enrolling and participating in STEM subjects in the senior school
- In Year 9 Mathematics, a non-streamed student-centred approach to teaching and learning has led to greater Māori and Pacific student enjoyment and confidence
- The school demonstrates strong commitment to equity and excellence linked to the college's graduate profile
- Strong pastoral care and home school partnerships foster family and whānau connections to the college
"Māori and Pacific students have not been achieving proportionally as many excellences in NCEA Levels 1 to 3 as the rest of learners at these levels"
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
100.0%
105 of 105 leavers
+1.0pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
96.2%
101 of 105 leavers
+1.0pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
88.6%
93 of 105 leavers
+14.3pt 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.
95.2%
2024 cohort · 105 students
0.0pt 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
2.3
2 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 7
- Creative Industries 3
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
$5.26M
Per-student funding · 2022
$9,566
2018
$4.9M
2019
$4.9M
2020
$5.5M
2021
$5.4M
2022
$5.3M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 09 128
- Year 10 132
- Year 11 98
- Year 12 101
- Year 13+ 94
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 55.5%
- Pacific 42.4%
- Māori 20.7%
- Asian 19.5%
- Other / MELAA 5.3%
- International 0.4%
International students
SIEBA member · Day school only
ESOL support
partial
Location
15 Guildford Terrace, Wellington CBD. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with St Mary's College (Wellington).
Sacred Heart Cathedral School
Full Primary · 0km · 228 roll
79
-5 vs this
Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu
Correspondence School · 0.2km · 9,145 roll
74
-10 vs this
Thorndon School
Full Primary · 0.5km · 265 roll
73
-11 vs this
Wellington Girls' College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 0.5km · 1,432 roll
86
+2 vs this
Queen Margaret College
Composite · 0.6km · 756 roll
77
-7 vs this
Clifton Terrace Model School
Full Primary · 0.9km · 69 roll
77
-7 vs this
Frequently asked
Is St Mary's College (Wellington) a good school?
St Mary's College (Wellington) scores 84/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 10% in NZ nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2022-11 review identified 5 key findings. Māori and Pacific students have not been achieving proportionally as many excellences in NCEA Levels 1 to 3 as other learners at these levels
How do I enrol my child at St Mary's College (Wellington)?
Contact the school directly on 04-4735554, email office@stmw.school.nz, or visit www.stmw.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 College (Wellington) 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 College (Wellington) has 550 students, with an EQI of 429 (mid-range socio-economic context). It is a girls school-only school.
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed St Mary's College (Wellington) in 2022-11, signed by Dr Lesley Patterson. 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
- sieba.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- stmw.school.nz
- crimestats.co.nz