Whangarei Heads School
28 Whangarei Heads School Road, Whangarei Heads · Northland
See all schools in Whangarei Heads →
Composite score
Strong
Top 10% in NZ
Rank #205 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Whangarei Heads School received a Te Ara Huarau review in July 2023. Students experience a responsive, localised curriculum centred on the local marine and bush environments, with teachers using adaptive, equitable teaching strategies. School leadership maintains relational trust and supports continuous improvement, with a focus on learning and wellbeing for each student.
Best suited for
Students aged 5-11 in Whangarei Heads looking for a state-funded setting with a strong recent ERO trajectory.
Is Whangarei Heads School a good school?
Whangarei Heads School scores 84/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 10% in NZ nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- ākonga experience a responsive broad localised curriculum driven by the local marine and bush environments
- teachers use effective teaching strategies in adaptive ways to promote equity and improve ākonga outcomes
- professional relationships and effective teaching practices that focus on learning and wellbeing of each ākonga
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=536) · why? ▼ hide
+16.0% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · top quartile of band (n=534) · why? ▼ hide
78/100 from ERO review 2017-09 · below band median (n=539) · 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): 78/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-07-21 · Shelley Booysen, ERO
- ākonga experience a responsive broad localised curriculum driven by the local marine and bush environments
- Teachers use effective teaching strategies in adaptive ways to promote equity and improve ākonga outcomes
- School leadership sustains a culture of relational trust to ensure ongoing capacity for continuous school improvement
- School working with ERO to evaluate how well systems and processes support collaboration and moderation practices to enhance teaching and learning
"school leadership sustains a culture of relational trust to ensure ongoing capacity for continuous school improvement"
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2014–2017. Click a point to read that review.
Audited financials
Year ended 2018 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$1.14M
Surplus / (deficit)
+$20k
Net assets / equity
$0.12M
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
$1.30M
Per-student funding · 2022
$8,946
2018
$0.7M
2019
$1.6M
2020
$1.0M
2021
$1.0M
2022
$1.3M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 17
- Year 02 11
- Year 03 17
- Year 04 19
- Year 05 28
- Year 06 13
- Year 07 19
- Year 08 14
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 90.3%
- Māori 15.2%
- Other / MELAA 4.8%
- Pacific 2.8%
- Asian 2.8%
Location
28 Whangarei Heads School Road, Whangarei Heads. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Whangarei Heads School.
Frequently asked
Is Whangarei Heads School a good school?
Whangarei Heads School scores 84/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 10% in NZ nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2023-07 review identified 4 key findings. ākonga experience a responsive broad localised curriculum driven by the local marine and bush environments
How do I enrol my child at Whangarei Heads School?
Contact the school directly on 09-4340844, email office@whangareiheads.school.nz, or visit www.whangareiheads.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?
Whangarei Heads School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Whangarei Heads School has 145 students, with an EQI of 408 (lower socio-economic need).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Whangarei Heads School in 2023-07, signed by Shelley Booysen. 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
- web.archive.org
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz