Tawhero School
Totara Street, Whanganui · Taranaki & Manawatū
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Composite score
Developing
Below median
Rank #2,078 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Tawhero School's 2024 ERO review found that students embrace the school's vision and demonstrate increased confidence as learners, particularly in literacy. The school has achieved its long-held aspiration for bilingual Māori and English teaching, with strong implementation supported by skilled staff and a well-structured literacy approach. Mathematics outcomes for boys have significantly improved, with boys and girls now achieving similarly.
Best suited for
Students in Whanganui looking for a state-funded setting.
Is Tawhero School a good school?
Tawhero School scores 45/100 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
- Strong implementation of bilingual Māori and English teaching and learning, with tamariki experiencing smooth transitions from Puna Reo immersion
- Well-structured literacy approach with explicit teaching and sustained practice embedding new learning, supported by skilled staff
- Play-based approach for younger learners supports oral, aural language development and social competency
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 120.6/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · below band median (n=539) · why? ▼ hide
+3.4% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=524) · why? ▼ hide
79/100 from ERO review 2024-06 · above 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): 79/100.
Latest ERO review
2024-06-19 · Darcy Te Hau, ERO
- Tamariki embrace the school's vision 'Mauria te pono – Believe in Yourself' and demonstrate increased confidence as learners, especially noticeable in literacy learning
- Long-held aspiration for bilingual Māori and English teaching and learning has been achieved, with increased access to te reo Māori learning
- The disparity in mathematics outcomes for boys in 2021 had significantly reduced over the next two years, with boys and girls now achieving similarly
- Leaders and kaiako have made very good progress with improvement priorities in te reo Māori capability, target-setting for acceleration, and mathematics teaching
- Tamariki attendance is steadily improving with an average of 85% in Term 1, 2024, and students requiring additional support are well catered for
"Leaders and kaiako have made very good progress with these improvement priorities."
Composite score across reviews
4 ERO reviews on file, 2016–2024. Click a point to read that review.
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
120.6
7 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.
Total Crown funding · 2022
$4.33M
Per-student funding · 2022
$29,283
2018
$3.5M
2019
$3.6M
2020
$4.1M
2021
$4.1M
2022
$4.3M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 16
- Year 02 23
- Year 03 21
- Year 04 21
- Year 05 19
- Year 06 20
- Year 07 24
- Year 08 6
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- Māori 80.4%
- European/Pākehā 23.6%
- Pacific 15.5%
- Asian 5.4%
Location
Totara Street, Whanganui. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Tawhero School.
St Marcellin School (Wanganui)
Full Primary · 0.1km · 55 roll
64
+19 vs this
Te Kura Waenga O Rutherford | Rutherford Intermediate School
Intermediate · 0.4km · 142 roll
25
-20 vs this
Arahunga School
Specialist School · 0.6km · 109 roll
93
+48 vs this
St Dominic's College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 0.7km · 58 roll
69
+24 vs this
St Anthony's School (Wanganui)
Composite · 0.8km · 101 roll
31
-14 vs this
Te Kura o Kokohuia
Composite · 1.3km · 219 roll
60
+15 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Tawhero School a good school?
Tawhero School scores 45/100 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 2024-06 review identified 6 key findings. Tamariki embrace the school's vision 'Mauria te pono – Believe in Yourself' and demonstrate increased confidence as learners, especially noticeable in literacy learning
How do I enrol my child at Tawhero School?
Contact the school directly on 06-349 0499, email office@tawhero.school.nz, or visit tawhero.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?
Tawhero School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Tawhero School has 148 students, with an EQI of 547 (higher socio-economic need).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Tawhero School in 2024-06, signed by Darcy Te Hau. 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
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz