Whanganui City College
84 Ingestre Street, Whanganui · Taranaki & Manawatū
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Composite score
Concern
Below median
Rank #2,310 of scored NZ schools
Active MoE intervention — limited statutory manager
A limited statutory manager has been appointed to Whanganui City College as of 2025-10-22. NZ Gazette notice
In summary
ERO (2023) identified concerns about overall student achievement levels. The school's strengths include strong professional relationships through the Takitini Hauora Kahui Ako, culturally sustaining practices supporting Māori learners, and a whānau-centred culture. A limited statutory manager is currently active. Composite score: 25.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Whanganui looking for a state-funded setting.
Is Whanganui City College a good school?
Whanganui City College 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
- Strong professional relationships with local schools through the Takitini Hauora Kahui Ako, which is committed to the development of shared and consistent practices focused on raising student achievement
- Culturally sustaining practices that support Māori learners to know who they are as Māori. This is supported and guided by a strong relationship with local iwi
- A whānau-centred culture and working in partnership with whānau to know and support each learner
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 64% · L2 48% · UE 30% · below band median (n=142) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 1% · Te Pūkenga 4% · Industry 9% · top quartile of band (n=123) · why? ▼ hide
59% to Y13 · below band median (n=166) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 53.4/1k · suspensions 35.8/1k · exclusions 9.7/1k · bottom quartile of band (n=539) · why? ▼ hide
-4.7% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=524) · why? ▼ hide
25/100 from ERO review 2023-07 · bottom 10% 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): 25/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-07-04 · Shelley Booysen, ERO
- ERO has concerns about overall levels of student achievement
- School identifies whānau engagement as the key to student success through whānau structure and whānau teacher model
- Strong professional relationships with local schools through Takitini Hauora Kahui Ako focused on raising student achievement
- Culturally sustaining practices support Māori learners, guided by strong relationship with local iwi
- School requires development of comprehensive implementation plan and robust systems for tracking progress in Years 9-10
"ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well school leaders are strengthening practices and capability across the school that are focused on improved outcomes for all learners."
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2016–2023. 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
64.1%
41 of 64 leavers
-0.8pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
48.4%
31 of 64 leavers
-10.0pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
29.7%
19 of 64 leavers
+5.0pt 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.
59.4%
2024 cohort · 64 students
-2.9pt 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
53.4
27 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
35.8
22 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
9.7
5 this year · NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Creative Industries 3
- Service 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
$4.20M
Per-student funding · 2022
$14,138
2018
$3.6M
2019
$3.5M
2020
$4.3M
2021
$4.7M
2022
$4.2M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 09 82
- Year 10 78
- Year 11 55
- Year 12 57
- Year 13+ 31
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- Māori 75.1%
- European/Pākehā 38.7%
- Pacific 10.1%
- Asian 3.0%
- Other / MELAA 0.3%
Location
84 Ingestre Street, Whanganui. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Whanganui City College.
Whanganui Intermediate
Intermediate · 0.4km · 449 roll
31
-4 vs this
St George's School
Full Primary · 0.7km · 155 roll
83
+48 vs this
Whanganui Collegiate School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 0.7km · 414 roll
82
+47 vs this
Keith Street School
Contributing · 1km · 179 roll
48
+13 vs this
Whanganui High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 1.3km · 1,401 roll
61
+26 vs this
Carlton School
Contributing · 1.4km · 280 roll
45
+10 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Whanganui City College a good school?
Whanganui City College 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 2023-07 review identified 5 key findings. ERO has concerns about overall levels of student achievement
How do I enrol my child at Whanganui City College?
Contact the school directly on 06-3490180, email office@wcc.school.nz, or visit www.wcc.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?
Whanganui City College is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Whanganui City College has 297 students, with an EQI of 547 (higher socio-economic need).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Whanganui City College in 2023-07, signed by Shelley Booysen. 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
- gazette.govt.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz