Arohanui Special School
Specialist School · State
- Year levels
- not reported
- Total roll
- 277
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Tirimoana Road, Te Atatu, Auckland
- Territorial authority
- Henderson-Massey Local Board Area
- Phone
- 09-8386696
- admin@arohanui.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Auckland
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 98
- Māori
- 77
- Pacific
- 103
- Asian
- 56
- MELAA
- 7
- Other
- 0
- International
- 0
Roll by year level and age
Shown as context, not ranked, not compared to any average. As at 30 June 2026, from the same annual return as the roll count above.
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 01 | 9 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 23 |
| Year 02 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 24 |
| Year 03 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 26 |
| Year 04 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 29 |
| Year 05 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 15 |
| Year 06 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| Year 07 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 |
| Year 08 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 16 |
| Year 09 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 18 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 11 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| Year 12 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| Year 13+ | 13 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 47 |
| Total | 73 | 97 | 54 | 11 | 3 | 92 | 0 | 260 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
| Age 06 | 10 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 24 |
| Age 07 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 22 |
| Age 08 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 31 |
| Age 09 | 7 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 26 |
| Age 10 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 25 |
| Age 11 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| Age 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 16 |
| Age 13 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 16 |
| Age 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 15 |
| Age 15 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 16 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| Age 17 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 18 |
| Age 18 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 19+ | 7 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 20 |
| Total | 73 | 97 | 54 | 11 | 3 | 92 | 0 | 260 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
0%
| Arohanui Special School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 90.1% |
| Specialist School | 12.7% |
| State: Not integrated | 83.6% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 1 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with NCEA level 2 or above — 2025
0%
| Arohanui Special School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 85.3% |
| Specialist School | 8% |
| State: Not integrated | 75.4% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 2 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with NCEA level 3 or above — 2025
0%
| Arohanui Special School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 71.7% |
| Specialist School | 1.8% |
| State: Not integrated | 55.2% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
0%
| Arohanui Special School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 14.6% |
| Specialist School | 0.7% |
| State: Not integrated | 14.4% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison Vocational Pathway data (2023-2025)
Retention
Percentage staying until at least 17th birthday — 2025
85.7%
| Arohanui Special School | 85.7% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 88.9% |
| Specialist School | 79.1% |
| State: Not integrated | 81.4% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | 80% |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | 85.7% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison trend data (2023-2025)
— 2024
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 1: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education one year after leaving school (2022-2024 leaver cohorts)
— 2023
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education two years after leaving school (2021-2023 leaver cohorts)
— 2024
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 1: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education one year after leaving school (2022-2024 leaver cohorts)
— 2023
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education two years after leaving school (2021-2023 leaver cohorts)
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Arohanui Special School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 29.7% |
| Specialist School | 24.1% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison stand-down rates data (2024)
Age-standardised suspension rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Arohanui Special School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 3% |
| Specialist School | 3.4% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison suspension rates data (2024)
Age-standardised exclusion rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Arohanui Special School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 1.4% |
| Specialist School | 1.8% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 479
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 31 August 1972
The Equity Index is used by the Ministry to allocate equity funding. It describes the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, not how good the school is. How the Equity Index works
What did ERO find?
The Education Review Office reviews every school and publishes what it finds in full. We quote ERO’s report here, section by section, in ERO’s own words and order, and link to it. We do not summarise a report, pick a line out of one, or turn one into a score. How ERO reviews schools
- Reports ERO holds
- 3
- Last reviewed
- 9 April 2024
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (9 April 2024)
A board assurance statement is the board’s own account of whether it took all reasonable steps to meet its legal obligations, on the date shown. It is not ERO’s finding. ERO reports separately, in the same report, on any non-compliance it identified during that process.
The same report — the board assurance report of 9 April 2024 — also sets out actions for compliance: the non-compliance ERO identified during that process. This is that section of the report in full, in ERO’s words.
ERO has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
regular undertaking of fire, earthquake and lockdown drills at the base school. [Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017; Fire Safety, Evacuation Procedures and Evacuation Schemes Regulations 2018]
The school has addressed this issue and reinstated regular fire, earthquakes and lockdown drills as outlined in the school policy and procedures guidelines.
The roll ERO recorded, and when
ERO writes a roll into each report it publishes: a count taken for that report, on the day shown, by the review team that was there. The Ministry of Education’s current roll for this school is 277 — the figure at the top of this page, and the one to use for how big the school is now. These are a different measurement by a different body, so they will rarely agree, and a difference between them is not a change in the school.
May 2016
161
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 22 June 2016
This is one count taken for one report. It says what the roll was on that day, and nothing about how the roll has moved.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 9 April 2024 — “Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
Background
This Profile Report was written within six months of the Education Review Office and Arohanui Special School working in Te Ara Huarau , an improvement evaluation approach used in English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz
This report is part of a nationally coordinated evaluation of 27-day specialist schools during the second half of 2023. This included the development of day specialist school evaluation indicators by ERO with significant input from principals, staff and the Special Education Principals’ Association of New Zealand (SEPAnz).
Context
Arohanui Special School is in Waitakere , Auckland. It provides education for ākonga eligible for Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) with intellectual disabilities aged between the ages of five to 21 years. The school has a base school and 16 satellite classes situated in local host schools and a transition centre for students aged 18 years and over.
The school employs a specialist therapy team that includes speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and behaviour specialists, who support the learning of students. A specialist teacher outreach service works with ORS funded students enrolled in local schools.
The school continues to navigate and manage roll growth pressures along with the employment and property demands associated with this.
The school’s whākatauki is ' Ko te ahurei o te tamaiti arahia ō tātou māhi - Let the uniqueness of the child guide our work’. The school’s vision is, ‘dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of their community in the spirit of aroha ’.
Arohanui Special School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for ākonga are:
to grow students by empowering them to reach their full potential as agentic learners
to grow staff by growing and developing our collective understanding of students’ personalised learning pathways
to grow community by creating mutually beneficial partnerships. You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Arohanui Special School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively literacy and communication tools, and the school’s teaching and learning approaches empower ākonga to have agency to be successful and reach their potential.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:
increase ākonga capability in literacy and communication
provide consistent schoolwide teaching and learning approaches in literacy and communication.
The school expects to see ākonga confident in their communication skills and engaged in a range of relevant effective literacy programmes.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support in its goal to evaluate how effectively literacy and communication tools, and the school’s teaching and learning approaches empower ākonga to have agency to be successful and reach their potential.
Students have a strong sense of their culture and identity and work towards successfully achieving their individual goals.
A well-established school culture that enhances engagement and wellbeing for ākonga , through bicultural and multi-cultural approaches.
Ākonga success and potential are addressed through an adaptive and responsive curriculum that provides relevant learning opportunities to meet their individual and complex needs.
A collaborative school leadership team that is reflective and strongly focused on promoting the school’s strategic direction for improvement and creating school conditions for innovation.
Relational trust that is enhanced by distributed leadership opportunities across the school.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise continuing to:
investigate and develop ways to enable ākonga to be agentic learners
develop a shared understanding of literacy and communication across the school through targeted schoolwide professional development to ensure the sustainability of effective literacy and communication approaches.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
9 April 2024
About the School
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →
All 3 reports ERO holds for this school
ERO reviews a school every few years — around four years between reviews is the usual cycle — so an older date here reflects where a school sits in that cycle, not how it is doing.
Source: Education Review Office, CC BY 4.0.
Roll date: 30 June 2026 (2026).