Waiau Area School
47 Orawia Road, Tuatapere · Otago & Southland
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Composite score
Concern
Below median
Rank #2,338 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Waiau Area School has made very good progress against identified priorities and transitioned to ERO's Evaluation for Improvement approach following its December 2021 review. Māori students achieve at similar or better levels than other students, and most students in Years 1–10 are achieving at or above expected levels in reading and mathematics. The school has strengthened attendance monitoring, assessment tracking systems, and senior school programme offerings through specialist teachers.
Best suited for
Students all year levels (Year 1-13) in Tuatapere looking for a state-funded setting.
Is Waiau Area School a good school?
Waiau Area School scores 33/100 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
- Improved student attendance tracking and monitoring systems with positive engagement with whānau
- Better assessment, recording and tracking systems across the school with improved external moderation in senior school
- Specialist teachers in senior school enabling broader range of programmes and pathways
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 55% · L2 46% · UE 36% · bottom quartile of band (n=142) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 1% · Te Pūkenga 0% · Industry 1% · bottom quartile of band (n=123) · why? ▼ hide
55% to Y13 · bottom quartile of band (n=166) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 656.3/1k · suspensions 26.2/1k · exclusions 28.9/1k · bottom 10% of band (n=539) · why? ▼ hide
+0.0% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=524) · why? ▼ hide
78/100 from ERO review 2021-12 · 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): 78/100.
Latest ERO review
2021-12-09 · Dr Lesley Patterson, Southern Region - Te Tai Tini
- School has made very good progress in relation to identified priorities and will transition into ERO's Evaluation for Improvement approach
- Māori students across all years achieve at similar or better levels than other students - a key area of school success
- Students in Years 1 to 10 are achieving well in reading (over 80 percent at or above expected level) and mathematics (73 percent at or above expected level)
- Leaders have shown significant growth in leadership capacity and capability through distributed leadership approach
- School has established inclusive environment with 'The Waiau Way' as well-understood set of expectations and values underpinning positive relationships
"The growth of leadership capacity and capability is a key success in this school."
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2020–2021. Click a point to read that review.
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
54.5%
6 of 11 leavers
-28.8pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
45.5%
5 of 11 leavers
-37.8pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
36.4%
4 of 11 leavers
+19.7pt 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.
54.5%
2024 cohort · 11 students
-45.5pt 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
656.3
100 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
26.2
4 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
28.9
4 this year · 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
$2.14M
Per-student funding · 2022
$16,572
2018
$1.9M
2019
$2.2M
2020
$3.3M
2021
$2.7M
2022
$2.1M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 11
- Year 02 5
- Year 03 12
- Year 04 6
- Year 05 14
- Year 06 7
- Year 07 15
- Year 08 13
- Year 09 18
- Year 10 12
- Year 11 9
- Year 12 8
- Year 13+ 8
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 73.6%
- Māori 27.1%
- Asian 12.4%
Location
47 Orawia Road, Tuatapere. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Waiau Area School.
Frequently asked
Is Waiau Area School a good school?
Waiau Area School scores 33/100 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 2021-12 review identified 5 key findings. School has made very good progress in relation to identified priorities and will transition into ERO's Evaluation for Improvement approach
How do I enrol my child at Waiau Area School?
Contact the school directly on 03-2266285, email admin@was.school.nz, or visit www.was.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?
Waiau Area School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Waiau Area School has 129 students, with an EQI of 525 (higher socio-economic need).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Waiau Area School in 2021-12, signed by Dr Lesley Patterson. 2 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