Whangamata Area School
Port Road, Whangamata · Waikato
See all schools in Whangamata →
Composite score
Established
Below median
Rank #1,550 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Whangamata Area School received a Te Ara Huarau review in November 2022. Strengths include focused leadership pursuing shared strategic priorities, a broad curriculum offering pathways with local community engagement, and effective systems for tracking and monitoring student progress. The school has a composite score of 74.
Best suited for
Students all year levels (Year 1-13) in Whangamata looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is Whangamata Area School a good school?
Whangamata Area School scores 61/100 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
- Leadership focused on the enactment of strategic priorities in pursuit of a shared vision
- Broad curriculum that provides a range of pathways and context-based engagement with the local environment and community
- Effective tracking, monitoring and communication systems that provide robust information to inform decision making
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 90% · L2 82% · UE 49% · top quartile of band (n=84) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 8% · Te Pūkenga 3% · Industry 11% · below band median (n=81) · why? ▼ hide
69% to Y13 · bottom quartile of band (n=86) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 15.3/1k · suspensions 2.9/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · near band median (n=404) · why? ▼ hide
+1.1% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=403) · why? ▼ hide
74/100 from ERO review 2022-11 · below band median (n=406) · 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): 74/100.
Latest ERO review
2022-11-24 · Phil Cowie, Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
- Leadership is focused on the enactment of strategic priorities in pursuit of a shared vision
- School has effective tracking, monitoring and communication systems that provide robust information to inform decision making
- Broad curriculum provides a range of pathways and context-based engagement with the local environment and community
- School expects to see a trajectory of improved literacy outcomes in Years 1-10 and improved qualifications attainment in Years 11-13
- Further development needed in internal evaluation structures and consistent teaching practice across the school
"leadership focused on the enactment of strategic priorities in pursuit of a shared vision"
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2017–2022. Click a point to read that review.
Audited financials
Year ended 2024 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$8.42M
Surplus / (deficit)
$315k
Net assets / equity
$0.67M
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
90.2%
55 of 61 leavers
+5.2pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
82.0%
50 of 61 leavers
+7.0pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
49.2%
30 of 61 leavers
-0.8pt 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.
68.9%
2024 cohort · 61 students
-8.6pt 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
15.3
10 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
2.9
2 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 3
- Creative Industries 3
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
$5.62M
Per-student funding · 2022
$10,283
2018
$4.2M
2019
$4.5M
2020
$5.9M
2021
$5.5M
2022
$5.6M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 18
- Year 02 20
- Year 03 32
- Year 04 25
- Year 05 45
- Year 06 38
- Year 07 35
- Year 08 44
- Year 09 90
- Year 10 57
- Year 11 62
- Year 12 48
- Year 13+ 33
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 80.3%
- Māori 28.2%
- Asian 4.6%
- Pacific 4.2%
- Other / MELAA 1.3%
- International 0.7%
Location
Port Road, Whangamata. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Whangamata Area School.
Frequently asked
Is Whangamata Area School a good school?
Whangamata Area School scores 61/100 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 2022-11 review identified 5 key findings. Leadership is focused on the enactment of strategic priorities in pursuit of a shared vision
How do I enrol my child at Whangamata Area School?
Contact the school directly on 07-8658557, email office@whangamata.school.nz, or visit www.whangamata.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?
Whangamata Area School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Whangamata Area School has 547 students, with an EQI of 460 (mid-range socio-economic context).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Whangamata Area School in 2022-11, signed by Phil Cowie. 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
- whangamata.school.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz