Tararua College
Churchill Street, Pahiatua · Wellington
Composite score
Developing
Below median
Rank #1,903 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Tararua College's 2023 ERO review found the school has developed a flexible and responsive junior curriculum model designed around student-centred planning to meet learner needs. Key strengths include a shared understanding of literacy and numeracy skills for student success gained through 2022 pilots, and established partnerships with learning providers, contributing schools, parents, whānau and the local community.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Pahiatua looking for a state-funded setting.
Is Tararua College a good school?
Tararua College scores 51/100 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
- Recently developed model of flexibility and responsiveness within the Junior curriculum designed to meet the needs of learners through student centred planning
- A shared understanding of the literacy and numeracy skills students need for success obtained by involvement in the 2022 Literacy and Numeracy pilots
- Established partnerships with learning providers, contributing schools, parents, whanau and the local community
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 82% · L2 69% · UE 45% · above band median (n=142) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 11% · Te Pūkenga 9% · Industry 8% · top 10% of band (n=123) · why? ▼ hide
77% to Y13 · above band median (n=166) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 76.1/1k · suspensions 31.2/1k · exclusions 14.6/1k · bottom quartile of band (n=539) · why? ▼ hide
+0.3% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=524) · why? ▼ hide
74/100 from ERO review 2018-05 · near band median (n=544) · 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): 74/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-02-15 · Kathy Lye, Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
- School has developed a flexible and responsive junior curriculum model designed to meet learner needs through student-centred planning
- Shared understanding of literacy and numeracy skills needed for student success obtained through 2022 Literacy and Numeracy pilots
- Established partnerships with learning providers, contributing schools, parents, whanau and the local community
- Focus on improving Year 9 and 10 literacy and numeracy outcomes through identification of effective teaching strategies
- Need to develop evaluation tools and systems to provide teachers, learners and parents with progress and achievement information
"a recently developed model of flexibility and responsiveness within the Junior curriculum designed to meet the needs of learners through student centred planning"
Trajectory across review cycles
Year-over-year change per dimension based on consecutive ERO reviews.
Audited financials
Year ended 2021 · Audit opinion: n/a
Total revenue
$6.36M
Surplus / (deficit)
+$22k
Net assets / equity
$1.16M
2 years of audited data on file · View full history (Pro)
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
82.4%
75 of 91 leavers
-7.5pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
69.2%
63 of 91 leavers
-13.9pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
45.1%
41 of 91 leavers
-5.5pt 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.
76.9%
2024 cohort · 91 students
-1.8pt 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
76.1
48 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
31.2
24 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
14.6
9 this year · NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Service Industries 11
- Creative Industries 6
- Primary 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
$6.67M
Per-student funding · 2022
$17,823
2018
$3.5M
2019
$4.4M
2020
$6.2M
2021
$5.0M
2022
$6.7M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 09 89
- Year 10 89
- Year 11 83
- Year 12 57
- Year 13+ 57
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 83.7%
- Māori 42.0%
- Pacific 5.6%
- Asian 3.2%
- Other / MELAA 1.9%
Location
Churchill Street, Pahiatua. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Tararua College.
Pahiatua School
Full Primary · 0.6km · 356 roll
68
+17 vs this
St Anthony's School (Pahiatua)
Full Primary · 0.9km · 120 roll
86
+35 vs this
Mangatainoka School
Full Primary · 4.9km · 59 roll
48
-3 vs this
- no score yet
Ballance School
Full Primary · 6.7km · 17 roll
Woodville School
Full Primary · 13.5km · 121 roll
49
-2 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Tararua College a good school?
Tararua College scores 51/100 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 2023-02 review identified 5 key findings. School has developed a flexible and responsive junior curriculum model designed to meet learner needs through student-centred planning
How do I enrol my child at Tararua College?
Contact the school directly on 06-3768344, email admin@tc.school.nz, or visit www.tararuacollege.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?
Tararua College is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Tararua College has 374 students, with an EQI of 510 (higher socio-economic need).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Tararua College in 2023-02, signed by Kathy Lye. 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
- tararuacollege.school.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz