Wakari School
150 Helensburgh Road, Wakari · Otago & Southland
Composite score
Established
Top 25% in NZ
Rank #578 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Wakari School, a contributing primary school in Dunedin with 326 students, has identified the need to strengthen collective pedagogical knowledge in mathematics teaching and improve consistency of practice across the school. The school has recently implemented the PRIME Maths programme to support this work, with positive trends already emerging in mathematics achievement data. School leaders demonstrate strategic, collaborative approaches to improvement, supported by a stable and experienced staff with pedagogical expertise to lead curriculum change.
Best suited for
Students in Wakari looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is Wakari School a good school?
Wakari School scores 78/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 25% in NZ nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- A strategic, collaborative approach to improving outcomes for learners
- A stable and experienced staff, who are adaptive and responsive to the needs of their students
- The pedagogical expertise to lead curriculum change from within the school
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 0.0/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · top 10% of band (n=518) · why? ▼ hide
+0.7% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=515) · why? ▼ hide
75/100 from ERO review 2017-07 · below band median (n=520) · 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): 75/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-03-22 · Kathy Lye, Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
- School leaders have identified a need to improve teachers' collective pedagogical knowledge of mathematics teaching and improve consistency of teacher practice across the school
- School has recently implemented the PRIME Maths programme and wishes to evaluate its impact on learning outcomes for all students
- Positive trends recently identified in the school's achievement data for Mathematics
- Acting Principal appointed until permanent Principal appointment made in 2023
"school leaders have identified a need to improve teachers' collective pedagogical knowledge of mathematics teaching and improve the consistency of teacher practice across the school"
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2014–2017. Click a point to read that review.
Audited financials
Year ended 2019 · Audit opinion: n/a
Total revenue
$2.59M
Surplus / (deficit)
+$99k
Net assets / equity
$0.67M
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
0.0
· 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
$4.32M
Per-student funding · 2022
$13,239
2018
$2.1M
2019
$2.7M
2020
$2.2M
2021
$3.4M
2022
$4.3M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 43
- Year 02 43
- Year 03 58
- Year 04 48
- Year 05 60
- Year 06 44
- Year 07 12
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 82.5%
- Māori 12.9%
- Asian 9.8%
- Other / MELAA 8.9%
- Pacific 4.0%
Location
150 Helensburgh Road, Wakari. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Wakari School.
St Mary's School (Dunedin)
Contributing · 0.6km · 62 roll
91
+13 vs this
Balmacewen Intermediate
Intermediate · 0.8km · 469 roll
67
-11 vs this
Halfway Bush School
Contributing · 1.1km · 35 roll
70
-8 vs this
Kaikorai School
Contributing · 1.3km · 320 roll
46
-32 vs this
Columba College
Composite · 1.4km · 595 roll
82
+4 vs this
John McGlashan College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 1.4km · 525 roll
83
+5 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Wakari School a good school?
Wakari School scores 78/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 25% in NZ nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2023-03 review identified 4 key findings. School leaders have identified a need to improve teachers' collective pedagogical knowledge of mathematics teaching and improve consistency of teacher practice across the school
How do I enrol my child at Wakari School?
Contact the school directly on 03-4763140, email principal@wakari.school.nz, or visit www.wakari.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?
Wakari School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Wakari School has 326 students, with an EQI of 440 (mid-range socio-economic context).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Wakari School in 2023-03, signed by Kathy Lye. 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
- web.archive.org
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz