Wairarapa College
83 Pownall Street, Masterton · Wellington
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Composite score
Developing
Below median
Rank #1,669 of scored NZ schools
Active MoE intervention — commissioner
A commissioner has been appointed to Wairarapa College as of 2015-12-10. NZ Gazette notice
In summary
Wairarapa College's 2022 ERO review found the school had reshuffled its leadership team to better oversee student outcomes and support teaching and learning goals. The school is working with its Kāhui Ako to develop a locally responsive curriculum, and has strengthened its student support team's approach to wellbeing through restorative practices and positive behaviour support. The school is currently operating under limited statutory manager intervention from the Ministry of Education.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Masterton looking for a state-funded setting.
Is Wairarapa College a good school?
Wairarapa College is currently under MoE intervention — a commissioner has been appointed. The school's day-to-day teaching continues; the intervention addresses governance or operational concerns identified by the Ministry. Read the NZ Gazette notice for details.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- Direct oversight of student outcomes made possible by a recent reshaping of School Leadership Team's roles linked directly to the development of strategic goals for teaching and learning
- Planning and implementation already underway with the Kāhui Ako to implement a localised curriculum, responsive to the aspirations of students, parents and whānau
- A student support team that has strengthened practices for prioritising wellbeing, through restorative practice and Positive Behaviour 4 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 89% · L2 79% · UE 47% · above band median (n=109) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 16% · Te Pūkenga 8% · Industry 17% · top quartile of band (n=102) · why? ▼ hide
80% to Y13 · above band median (n=115) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 56.7/1k · suspensions 5.7/1k · exclusions 2.6/1k · below band median (n=468) · why? ▼ hide
-12.2% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · below band median (n=469) · why? ▼ hide
67/100 from ERO review 2019-08 · bottom quartile of band (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): 67/100.
Latest ERO review
2022-11-21 · Dr Lesley Patterson, Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
- Direct oversight of student outcomes made possible by recent reshaping of School Leadership Team's roles linked to development of strategic goals for teaching and learning
- Planning and implementation underway with Kāhui Ako to implement a localised curriculum responsive to aspirations of students, parents and whānau
- Student support team has strengthened practices for prioritising wellbeing through restorative practice and Positive Behaviour 4 Learning
"direct oversight of student outcomes made possible by a recent reshaping of School Leadership Team's roles linked directly to the development of strategic goals for teaching and learning"
Audited financials
Year ended 2024 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$14.26M
Surplus / (deficit)
$387k
Net assets / equity
$3.08M
3 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
88.7%
189 of 213 leavers
-0.4pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
79.3%
169 of 213 leavers
-1.7pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
46.5%
99 of 213 leavers
-0.9pt 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.
80.3%
2024 cohort · 213 students
+1.6pt 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
56.7
90 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
5.7
11 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
2.6
4 this year · NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Service Industries 15
- Creative Industries 6
- Social and Community Services 2
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
$16.29M
Per-student funding · 2022
$17,071
2018
$10.7M
2019
$11.6M
2020
$12.6M
2021
$16.1M
2022
$16.3M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 09 212
- Year 10 222
- Year 11 198
- Year 12 188
- Year 13+ 174
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 81.3%
- Māori 29.6%
- Asian 6.8%
- Pacific 5.3%
- Other / MELAA 2.7%
- International 0.4%
Location
83 Pownall Street, Masterton. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Wairarapa College.
Douglas Park School
Contributing · 0.5km · 366 roll
80
+22 vs this
St Patrick's School (Masterton)
Contributing · 0.7km · 236 roll
74
+16 vs this
St Matthew's Collegiate (Masterton)
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 0.7km · 291 roll
77
+19 vs this
Masterton Intermediate
Intermediate · 0.9km · 352 roll
34
-24 vs this
Hadlow Preparatory School
Full Primary · 1.1km · 196 roll
77
+19 vs this
Chanel College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 1.3km · 318 roll
61
+3 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Wairarapa College a good school?
Wairarapa College is currently under MoE intervention — a commissioner has been appointed. The school's day-to-day teaching continues; the intervention addresses governance or operational concerns identified by the Ministry. Read the NZ Gazette notice for details.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2022-11 review identified 3 key findings. Direct oversight of student outcomes made possible by recent reshaping of School Leadership Team's roles linked to development of strategic goals for teaching and learning
How do I enrol my child at Wairarapa College?
Contact the school directly on 06-3700400, email office@waicol.co.nz, or visit www.waicol.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?
Wairarapa College is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Wairarapa College has 954 students, with an EQI of 479 (mid-range socio-economic context).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Wairarapa College in 2022-11, signed by Dr Lesley Patterson. 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
- waicol.co.nz
- gazette.govt.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz