Whangārei Boys' High School
245 Western Hills Drive, Avenues · Northland
Composite score
Established
Below median
Rank #1,360 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Whangārei Boys' High School is a secondary school serving Years 9-15 with a roll of 1360 students. An ERO hostel review in February 2023 found the hostel manager and owner meet Hostel Regulations 2005 requirements, with reasonable steps taken to ensure boarders experience a safe physical and emotional environment. The school's strengths include a strong sense of community and belonging among students, wide-ranging leadership opportunities, and recent refurbishments to hostel facilities. The school has a composite score of 82.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Avenues looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is Whangārei Boys' High School a good school?
Whangārei Boys' High School scores 65/100 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
- Students experience a strong sense of community and belonging
- Wide range of experiences and leadership opportunities provided for students
- Recent refurbishments have enhanced living conditions for boarders
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 81% · L2 69% · UE 43% · bottom quartile of band (n=84) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 19% · Te Pūkenga 11% · Industry 22% · top quartile of band (n=81) · why? ▼ hide
62% to Y13 · bottom 10% of band (n=86) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 11.4/1k · suspensions 4.9/1k · exclusions 2.1/1k · near band median (n=404) · why? ▼ hide
+18.8% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · top quartile of band (n=403) · why? ▼ hide
82/100 from ERO review 2023-02 · above 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): 82/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-02-07 · Filivaifale Jason Swann, Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
- The hostel manager and hostel owner have attested that they meet the requirements of the Hostel Regulations 2005
- All reasonable steps are being taken to ensure boarders experience a safe physical and emotional environment that supports their learning
- Carruth House was operating at under 50% capacity at the time of review
- Significant infrastructure upgrades are required due to the age of the building
- Students value the sense of community and belonging at Carruth House
"All reasonable steps are being taken to ensure boarders at Carruth House experience a safe physical and emotional environment that supports their learning."
Composite score across reviews
3 ERO reviews on file, 2017–2023. 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
80.8%
249 of 308 leavers
-5.7pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
69.2%
213 of 308 leavers
+0.5pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
43.2%
133 of 308 leavers
-0.1pt 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.
62.0%
2024 cohort · 308 students
+0.9pt 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
11.4
27 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
4.9
14 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
2.1
5 this year · NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Service Industries 26
- Creative Industries 20
- Manufacturing and Technology 5
- Primary Industries 2
- Construction and Infrastructure 2
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
$29.16M
Per-student funding · 2022
$21,443
2018
$9.2M
2019
$11.1M
2020
$19.0M
2021
$38.6M
2022
$29.2M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 09 336
- Year 10 333
- Year 11 318
- Year 12 253
- Year 13+ 164
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 74.0%
- Māori 42.1%
- Asian 8.4%
- Pacific 7.6%
- Other / MELAA 1.6%
- International 0.9%
International students
SIEBA member · Day school only
Location
245 Western Hills Drive, Avenues. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Whangārei Boys' High School.
Whangārei Girls' High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 0.3km · 1,509 roll
65
0 vs this
Whangarei School
Contributing · 0.3km · 491 roll
67
+2 vs this
Whangarei Intermediate
Intermediate · 0.7km · 512 roll
30
-35 vs this
St Francis Xavier Catholic School (Whangarei)
Contributing · 1.5km · 508 roll
81
+16 vs this
Renew School
Composite · 1.6km · 201 roll
55
-10 vs this
Te Kāpehu Whetū
Composite · 1.7km · 161 roll
80
+15 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Whangārei Boys' High School a good school?
Whangārei Boys' High School scores 65/100 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 2023-02 review identified 6 key findings. The hostel manager and hostel owner have attested that they meet the requirements of the Hostel Regulations 2005
How do I enrol my child at Whangārei Boys' High School?
Contact the school directly on 09-4304170, email enquiries@wbhs.school.nz, or visit www.wbhs.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?
Whangārei Boys' High School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Whangārei Boys' High School has 1,360 students, with an EQI of 474 (mid-range socio-economic context). It is a boys school-only school.
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Whangārei Boys' High School in 2023-02, signed by Filivaifale Jason Swann. 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
- sieba.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- wbhs.school.nz
- crimestats.co.nz