Kaikōura High School
Secondary (Year 7-15) · State
- Year levels
- 7–13
- Total roll
- 191
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 1 Rorrisons Road, Kaikoura
- Territorial authority
- Kaikoura District
- Phone
- 03-3195138
- mmcnabb@kaikourahigh.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Canterbury
What would the day look like?
The practical things this school states on its own website — the hours, the uniform, the term dates, and how children get there. These are the school’s own words, not the Ministry’s record and not ERO’s.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- Getting there
- Bus services allocated to the Clarence, Hapuku, Inland Road, Peketa/Oaro and Suburban areas
At present, the following areas have been allocated bus services: - Clarence - Hapuku - Inland Road - Peketa/Oaro - Suburban
- Bus services allocated to the Clarence, Hapuku, Inland Road, Peketa/Oaro and Suburban areas
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 139
- Māori
- 61
- Pacific
- 12
- Asian
- 18
- MELAA
- 4
- Other
- 2
- International
- 2
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 07 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 25 |
| Year 08 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 39 |
| Year 09 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 31 |
| Year 10 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 23 |
| Year 11 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 43 |
| Year 12 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 26 |
| Year 13+ | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 12 |
| Total | 72 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 155 | 1 | 199 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 11 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 18 |
| Age 12 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 35 |
| Age 13 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 34 |
| Age 14 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 28 |
| Age 15 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 42 |
| Age 16 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 27 |
| Age 17 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 14 |
| Age 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 72 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 155 | 1 | 199 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
88.5%
| Kaikōura High School | 88.5% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 87.1% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 89.6% |
| State: Not integrated | 83.6% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 100% |
|---|---|
| Male | 80% |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 90.5% |
| Total | 88.5% |
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
69.2%
| Kaikōura High School | 69.2% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 79.6% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 83.3% |
| State: Not integrated | 75.4% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 90.9% |
|---|---|
| Male | 53.3% |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 71.4% |
| Total | 69.2% |
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
30.8%
| Kaikōura High School | 30.8% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 59% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 64.5% |
| State: Not integrated | 55.2% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 45.5% |
|---|---|
| Male | 20% |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 38.1% |
| Total | 30.8% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
3.8%
| Kaikōura High School | 3.8% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 13.7% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 14.7% |
| State: Not integrated | 14.4% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 9.1% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 4.8% |
| Total | 3.8% |
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
69.2%
| Kaikōura High School | 69.2% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 83.6% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 83.1% |
| State: Not integrated | 81.4% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 81.8% |
|---|---|
| Male | 60% |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 71.4% |
| Total | 69.2% |
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%
| Kaikoura High School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 38.3% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 43.4% |
| 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%
| Kaikoura High School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 3.7% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 4.6% |
| 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%
| Kaikoura High School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 1.7% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 2% |
| 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)
- 475
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Small urban area
- Date opened
- 25 January 1971
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
- 4
- Last reviewed
- 26 May 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (26 May 2023)
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 26 May 2023 — 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.
The board has identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
the requirement to obtain a Police vet for every person employed at the school every three years
[section 104 Education and Training Act 2020].
The board has since taken steps to address the area of non-compliance identified.
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 191 — 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.
June 2017
187
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 12 July 2017
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 26 May 2023 — “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 24 months of the Education Review Office and Kaikoura High School working in Te Ara Huarau , an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz
Context
Kaikoura High School is located in the coastal township of Kaikōura and provides education to students in Years 7 to 13. The school is the managing school for the regional attendance service.
Kaikoura High School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to focus on building:
Rangatiratanga | leadership
Whai matauranga | curriculum, teaching and learning
Whanaungatanga | connections and relationships
Kaitiakitanga | stewardship.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Kaikoura High School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well leaders and teachers are implementing key strategies and practices to improve equity and engagement outcomes for priority learners.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
the variability, over time, of student achievement outcomes at NCEA, particularly through gaps in literacy capability
the impact of local and national events on learner wellbeing, resilience and engagement
the school’s readiness to implement a revised, localised curriculum and changes to NCEA.
The school expects to see strengthened evaluation practices that help the school and its community know the impacts of key decisions on all learners’ achievement and engagement outcomes, and inform ongoing school improvement.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to promote better equity and engagement for learners:
collaboration with the community and Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura is enriching opportunities for learners to experience positive future pathways
targeted professional development is building teacher capability in culturally responsive practices for equity and engagement for all learners
an effective, targeted approach to acceleration of improvement in literacy for those students who most need this.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
building consistency of practice in teaching literacy across the curriculum to ensure all learners are able to access the knowledge and skills they need for success
strengthening school-wide practices that create a positive environment which promotes learner wellbeing, resilience and optimism
building capability for leaders and the board to better monitor and regularly report against targets for improvement of equity an engagement.
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 26 May 2023
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 4 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).