Villa Maria College
21 Peer Street, Upper Riccarton · Canterbury
See all schools in Upper Riccarton →
Composite score
Strong
Top 10% in NZ
Rank #149 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Villa Maria College's 2023 ERO review found the school identifies and responds to learners' needs with equity in achievement outcomes. The school uses systematic approaches to review and evaluate initiatives, and staff are increasing their use of te reo, mātauranga Māori, and Pacific cultural competencies. The school's Catholic and Mercy charism forms the foundation for learning review and design.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Upper Riccarton looking for a state-funded setting with a strong recent ERO trajectory.
Is Villa Maria College a good school?
Villa Maria College scores 86/100 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
- The special character, based on the Catholic and Mercy charism forms the foundation for learning review and design
- The school identifies and responds to learners' needs and there is equity in achievement outcomes
- A systematic approach to reviewing and evaluating is used to measure the impact of initiatives
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 97% · UE 89% · top quartile of band (n=66) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 59% · Te Pūkenga 12% · Industry 2% · top quartile of band (n=64) · why? ▼ hide
99% to Y13 · top 10% of band (n=66) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 11.3/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · near band median (n=536) · why? ▼ hide
-2.4% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=534) · why? ▼ hide
85/100 from ERO review 2023-10 · top quartile of band (n=539) · 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): 85/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-10-10 · Shelley Booysen, ERO
- The school identifies and responds to learners' needs and there is equity in achievement outcomes
- A systematic approach to reviewing and evaluating is used to measure the impact of initiatives
- Kaiako and kaiawhina are increasing their understanding and use of te reo and mātauranga Māori, and Pacific cultural competencies
- ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the impact of reviewed Years 7 to 11 learning programmes on student engagement, agency, and achievement outcomes
"the school identifies and responds to learners' needs and there is equity in achievement outcomes"
Composite score across reviews
3 ERO reviews on file, 2013–2023. Click a point to read that review.
Audited financials
Year ended 2024 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$10.69M
Surplus / (deficit)
+$76k
Net assets / equity
$1.10M
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
100.0%
152 of 152 leavers
+4.2pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
97.4%
148 of 152 leavers
+3.0pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
88.8%
135 of 152 leavers
-0.6pt 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.
99.3%
2024 cohort · 152 students
+6.3pt 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
11.3
14 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 20
- Social and Community Services 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
$7.40M
Per-student funding · 2022
$9,062
2018
$6.1M
2019
$6.4M
2020
$7.0M
2021
$7.0M
2022
$7.4M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 07 52
- Year 08 52
- Year 09 154
- Year 10 153
- Year 11 147
- Year 12 137
- Year 13+ 129
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 76.6%
- Asian 18.5%
- Māori 12.6%
- Pacific 8.7%
- Other / MELAA 4.3%
- International 2.8%
International students
SIEBA member · Day school only
ESOL support
partial
Years accepted
7-13
Location
21 Peer Street, Upper Riccarton. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Villa Maria College.
Te Kāpehu Riccarton School
Full Primary · 0.6km · 379 roll
64
-22 vs this
Avonhead School - Rakipaoa
Full Primary · 0.8km · 630 roll
79
-7 vs this
Riccarton High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 0.8km · 1,103 roll
66
-20 vs this
Ilam School
Contributing · 1km · 427 roll
75
-11 vs this
St Thomas of Canterbury College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 1.1km · 683 roll
80
-6 vs this
Our Lady of Victories
Full Primary · 1.1km · 270 roll
85
-1 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Villa Maria College a good school?
Villa Maria College scores 86/100 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 2023-10 review identified 4 key findings. The school identifies and responds to learners' needs and there is equity in achievement outcomes
How do I enrol my child at Villa Maria College?
Contact the school directly on 03-3484165, email villa@villa.school.nz, or visit www.villa.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?
Villa Maria College is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Villa Maria College has 817 students, with an EQI of 411 (lower socio-economic need). It is a girls school-only school.
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Villa Maria College in 2023-10, signed by Shelley Booysen. 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
- villa.school.nz
- sieba.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz