Whanganui High School
76 Purnell Street, Whanganui · Taranaki & Manawatū
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Composite score
Established
Below median
Rank #1,544 of scored NZ schools
Active MoE intervention — limited statutory manager
A limited statutory manager has been appointed to Whanganui High School as of 2024-12-18. NZ Gazette notice
In summary
Whanganui High School's board attested to meeting all regulatory and legislative requirements as of June 2023, with board administration and curriculum requirements confirmed in the December 2023 board assurance review. The school is currently operating under limited statutory manager intervention from the Ministry of Education.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Whanganui looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is Whanganui High School a good school?
Whanganui 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.
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 86% · L2 75% · UE 51% · above band median (n=109) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 20% · Te Pūkenga 9% · Industry 13% · top quartile of band (n=102) · why? ▼ hide
76% to Y13 · near band median (n=115) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 57.9/1k · suspensions 1.8/1k · exclusions 0.4/1k · near band median (n=468) · why? ▼ hide
+8.4% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · above band median (n=469) · why? ▼ hide
82/100 from ERO review 2023-12 · top 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): 82/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-12-13 · Shelley Booysen, ERO
- Board has attested to meeting all regulatory and legislative requirements as of June 2023
- Board Administration requirements met
- Curriculum requirements met
- Management of Health, Safety and Welfare requirements met
- Personnel Management and Finance requirements met
"As of June 2023, the Whanganui High School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements"
Composite score across reviews
3 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
85.9%
225 of 262 leavers
-1.0pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
74.8%
196 of 262 leavers
+0.6pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
50.8%
133 of 262 leavers
+6.9pt 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.
75.6%
2024 cohort · 262 students
-0.2pt 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
57.9
133 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
1.8
5 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
0.4
1 this year · NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Service Industries 16
- Creative Industries 10
- Construction and Infrastructure 2
- Social and Community Services 1
- Manufacturing and Technology 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
$12.44M
Per-student funding · 2022
$8,881
2018
$10.4M
2019
$10.9M
2020
$12.7M
2021
$12.4M
2022
$12.4M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 09 304
- Year 10 298
- Year 11 301
- Year 12 295
- Year 13+ 246
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 77.4%
- Māori 29.0%
- Asian 7.9%
- Pacific 4.6%
- International 2.7%
- Other / MELAA 1.7%
International students
SIEBA member · Day school only
Location
76 Purnell Street, Whanganui. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Whanganui High School.
Carlton School
Contributing · 0.2km · 280 roll
45
-16 vs this
Whanganui Collegiate School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 0.7km · 414 roll
82
+21 vs this
St George's School
Full Primary · 0.8km · 155 roll
83
+22 vs this
Arahunga School
Specialist School · 0.9km · 109 roll
93
+32 vs this
St Anthony's School (Wanganui)
Composite · 0.9km · 101 roll
31
-30 vs this
St Dominic's College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 1km · 58 roll
69
+8 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Whanganui High School a good school?
Whanganui 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 2023-12 review identified 6 key findings. Board has attested to meeting all regulatory and legislative requirements as of June 2023
How do I enrol my child at Whanganui High School?
Contact the school directly on 06-3490178, email principal@whs.ac.nz, or visit www.whanganuihigh.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 High School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Whanganui High School has 1,401 students, with an EQI of 482 (mid-range socio-economic context).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Whanganui High School in 2023-12, signed by Shelley Booysen. 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
- gazette.govt.nz
- sieba.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- whanganuihigh.school.nz
- crimestats.co.nz