St Paul's College (Ponsonby)
183 Richmond Road, Ponsonby · Auckland — Central
Composite score
Established
Below median
Rank #1,542 of scored NZ schools
In summary
St Paul's College had an ERO review in October 2023 as part of Te Ara Huarau. The school has five new senior leaders including a new headmaster. ERO identified strengths in supportive learning relationships, high expectations for all students, and teachers' commitment to professional learning. The school is working with ERO to establish how teaching practice impacts learner progress and achievement.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Ponsonby looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is St Paul's College (Ponsonby) a good school?
St Paul's College (Ponsonby) scores 61/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Below median nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- Supportive, caring and honest learning relationships that promote students' sense of belonging and tuakana/teina practices
- High expectations for the success of all students
- Teachers' commitment to professional learning and life-long learning
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 98% · L2 97% · UE 78% · top 10% of band (n=109) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 5% · Te Pūkenga 1% · Industry 2% · bottom quartile of band (n=102) · why? ▼ hide
93% to Y13 · top 10% of band (n=115) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 60.3/1k · suspensions 5.3/1k · exclusions 4.8/1k · below band median (n=468) · why? ▼ hide
+36.6% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · top 10% of band (n=469) · why? ▼ hide
68/100 from ERO review 2019-12 · below band median (n=471) · 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): 68/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-10-18 · Shelley Booysen, ERO
- Five new school leaders, including the headmaster, have been appointed to the senior leadership team since the last ERO review
- ERO and the College are working together to establish the impact of teaching practice on learner progress and achievement
- Strategic priorities include special character, governance, leadership, learning and curriculum design, pastoral care, teachers and staff, co-curricular activities, finance and property, and community
- The school expects to see students' increasing success in learning particularly in viable pathways, NCEA endorsements and University Entrance qualifications
"Five new school leaders, including the headmaster, have been appointed to the senior leadership team since the last ERO review."
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
98.3%
58 of 59 leavers
+4.7pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
96.6%
57 of 59 leavers
+9.4pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
78.0%
46 of 59 leavers
+1.4pt 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.
93.2%
2024 cohort · 59 students
+8.1pt 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
60.3
39 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
5.3
4 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
4.8
3 this year · NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Creative Industries 1
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
$4.34M
Per-student funding · 2022
$10,885
2018
$2.7M
2019
$3.0M
2020
$3.5M
2021
$3.9M
2022
$4.3M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 07 28
- Year 08 38
- Year 09 65
- Year 10 71
- Year 11 64
- Year 12 75
- Year 13+ 62
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- Pacific 87.5%
- European/Pākehā 24.6%
- Māori 18.5%
- Asian 5.8%
- Other / MELAA 3.0%
Location
183 Richmond Road, Ponsonby. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with St Paul's College (Ponsonby).
Richmond Road School
Contributing · 0.3km · 299 roll
76
+15 vs this
Marist Catholic School (Herne Bay)
Contributing · 0.4km · 140 roll
61
0 vs this
Ponsonby Intermediate
Intermediate · 0.7km · 548 roll
73
+12 vs this
Auckland Secondary Schools' Centre
Activity Centre · 0.9km · roll n/a
89
+28 vs this
Bayfield School
Contributing · 0.9km · 394 roll
80
+19 vs this
Grey Lynn School
Contributing · 1km · 270 roll
71
+10 vs this
Frequently asked
Is St Paul's College (Ponsonby) a good school?
St Paul's College (Ponsonby) scores 61/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Below median nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2023-10 review identified 4 key findings. Five new school leaders, including the headmaster, have been appointed to the senior leadership team since the last ERO review
How do I enrol my child at St Paul's College (Ponsonby)?
Contact the school directly on 09-3761287, email stpauls@stpaulscollege.co.nz, or visit www.stpaulscollege.co.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 Paul's College (Ponsonby) is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
St Paul's College (Ponsonby) has 399 students, with an EQI of 480 (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 Paul's College (Ponsonby) in 2023-10, signed by Shelley Booysen. 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
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz