Waitara High School
18 Princess Street, Waitara · Taranaki & Manawatū
Composite score
Developing
Below median
Rank #1,921 of scored NZ schools
Active MoE intervention — limited statutory manager
A limited statutory manager has been appointed to Waitara High School . NZ Gazette notice
In summary
Waitara High School's 2023 ERO review identified a relational culture of trust that is increasingly culturally responsive, alongside systematic processes for tracking learner achievement. The school has a planned approach to professional learning and leaders focused on achieving excellence and equity. The school is currently subject to limited statutory manager intervention from the Ministry of Education.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Waitara looking for a state-funded setting.
Is Waitara High School a good school?
Waitara High School is currently under MoE intervention — a limited statutory manager 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
- A relational culture of trust that supports learning and is increasingly culturally responsive
- A planned approach to professional learning that uses internal and external expertise
- Processes and systems that track the achievement of all learners
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 76% · L2 66% · UE 43% · near band median (n=142) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 5% · Te Pūkenga 12% · Industry 8% · top 10% of band (n=123) · why? ▼ hide
57% to Y13 · bottom quartile of band (n=166) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 66.2/1k · suspensions 1.1/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · below band median (n=539) · why? ▼ hide
+17.6% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · above band median (n=524) · why? ▼ hide
54/100 from ERO review 2019-07 · bottom quartile of band (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): 54/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-02-16 · Phil Cowie, Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
- A relational culture of trust that supports learning and is increasingly culturally responsive
- Processes and systems that track the achievement of all learners
- School leaders who are focused on achieving excellence and equity for all by systematically identifying and mitigating barriers to learning
- A planned approach to professional learning that uses internal and external expertise
"school leaders who are focused on achieving excellence and equity for all by systematically identifying and mitigating barriers to learning"
Audited financials
Year ended 2024 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$7.99M
Surplus / (deficit)
+$183k
Net assets / equity
$1.70M
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
76.4%
68 of 89 leavers
-3.6pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
66.3%
59 of 89 leavers
+6.3pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
42.7%
38 of 89 leavers
+15.6pt 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.
57.3%
2024 cohort · 89 students
-4.1pt 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
66.2
49 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
1.1
1 this year · 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 7
- Social and Community Services 1
- Creative 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
$4.84M
Per-student funding · 2022
$11,587
2018
$4.7M
2019
$4.6M
2020
$4.5M
2021
$4.3M
2022
$4.8M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 09 109
- Year 10 107
- Year 11 96
- Year 12 71
- Year 13+ 52
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 61.0%
- Māori 58.9%
- Pacific 3.6%
- Other / MELAA 0.7%
- Asian 0.2%
Location
18 Princess Street, Waitara. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Waitara High School.
Waitara East School
Contributing · 0.3km · 217 roll
38
-12 vs this
Manukorihi Intermediate
Intermediate · 0.4km · 217 roll
47
-3 vs this
Waitara Central School
Contributing · 1.3km · 148 roll
45
-5 vs this
St Joseph's School (Waitara)
Full Primary · 1.7km · 90 roll
61
+11 vs this
Tikorangi School
Contributing · 5.1km · 175 roll
63
+13 vs this
Huirangi School
Contributing · 6.1km · 127 roll
82
+32 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Waitara High School a good school?
Waitara High School is currently under MoE intervention — a limited statutory manager 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 2023-02 review identified 4 key findings. A relational culture of trust that supports learning and is increasingly culturally responsive
How do I enrol my child at Waitara High School?
Contact the school directly on 06-7547514, email office@waitarahs.school.nz, or visit waitarahs.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?
Waitara High School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Waitara High School has 418 students, with an EQI of 524 (higher socio-economic need).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Waitara High School in 2023-02, signed by Phil Cowie. 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
- waitarahs.school.nz
- gazette.govt.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz