Marlborough Boys' College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · State
- Year levels
- 9–13
- Total roll
- 1,024
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Boys School
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 5 Stephenson Street, Blenheim
- Territorial authority
- Marlborough District
- Phone
- 03-5780119
- office@mbc.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Marlborough
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 815
- Māori
- 254
- Pacific
- 108
- Asian
- 93
- MELAA
- 17
- Other
- 18
- 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 09 | 55 | 27 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 176 | 0 | 214 |
| Year 10 | 65 | 18 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 212 | 0 | 250 |
| Year 11 | 47 | 29 | 21 | 3 | 5 | 190 | 0 | 237 |
| Year 12 | 42 | 19 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 153 | 0 | 178 |
| Year 13+ | 20 | 12 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 118 | 0 | 143 |
| Total | 229 | 105 | 86 | 18 | 17 | 849 | 0 | 1022 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Age 13 | 45 | 19 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 138 | 0 | 165 |
| Age 14 | 64 | 22 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 201 | 0 | 239 |
| Age 15 | 51 | 26 | 22 | 5 | 5 | 206 | 0 | 252 |
| Age 16 | 38 | 22 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 154 | 0 | 180 |
| Age 17 | 24 | 12 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 114 | 0 | 138 |
| Age 18 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 44 |
| Age 19+ | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 229 | 105 | 86 | 18 | 17 | 849 | 0 | 1022 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
86.2%
| Marlborough Boys' College | 86.2% |
|---|---|
| Marlborough Region | 84.6% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 88% |
| State: Not integrated | 83.6% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Male | 86.2% |
| Māori | 78.3% |
| Pacific | 88.2% |
| Asian | 83.3% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 87.1% |
| Total | 86.2% |
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
71.1%
| Marlborough Boys' College | 71.1% |
|---|---|
| Marlborough Region | 73.8% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 81% |
| State: Not integrated | 75.4% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Male | 71.1% |
| Māori | 63% |
| Pacific | 52.9% |
| Asian | 77.8% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 71.6% |
| Total | 71.1% |
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
44.4%
| Marlborough Boys' College | 44.4% |
|---|---|
| Marlborough Region | 49.3% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 61.8% |
| State: Not integrated | 55.2% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Male | 44.4% |
| Māori | 32.6% |
| Pacific | 29.4% |
| Asian | 33.3% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 47.3% |
| Total | 44.4% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
10.8%
| Marlborough Boys' College | 10.8% |
|---|---|
| Marlborough Region | 12.2% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 15.2% |
| State: Not integrated | 14.4% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Male | 10.8% |
| Māori | 8.7% |
| Pacific | 11.8% |
| Asian | 11.1% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 11.4% |
| Total | 10.8% |
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
75%
| Marlborough Boys' College | 75% |
|---|---|
| Marlborough Region | 75.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 83.5% |
| State: Not integrated | 81.4% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Male | 75% |
| Māori | 69.6% |
| Pacific | 82.4% |
| Asian | 88.9% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 74.6% |
| Total | 75% |
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
| Pacific | not reported |
|---|---|
| Female | not reported |
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | 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
| Pacific | not reported |
|---|---|
| Female | not reported |
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | 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
45.6%
| Marlborough Boys' College | 45.6% |
|---|---|
| Marlborough Region | 36.2% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 35.8% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
|---|---|
| Male | 45.6% |
| Māori | 48.8% |
| Pacific | 84.4% |
| Asian | 7.6% |
| Other | 54.6% |
| European/Pākehā | 45.8% |
| Total | 45.6% |
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
5.8%
| Marlborough Boys' College | 5.8% |
|---|---|
| Marlborough Region | 4% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 4% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
|---|---|
| Male | 5.8% |
| Māori | 10.6% |
| Pacific | 10.6% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 4.6% |
| Total | 5.8% |
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
1.2%
| Marlborough Boys' College | 1.2% |
|---|---|
| Marlborough Region | 1% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
|---|---|
| Male | 1.2% |
| Māori | 2.5% |
| Pacific | 6.2% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 1.2% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 456
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Medium urban area
- Date opened
- 25 January 1900
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
- 23 February 2024
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (23 February 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 board assurance report of 23 February 2024 carries no actions-for-compliance section — the section ERO uses when it names non-compliance it identified. That is what this report contains; it is not ERO saying it found none. Other reports ERO holds for this school may say something different.
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 1024 — 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.
October 2019
892
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 28 April 2020
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 23 February 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 Marlborough Boys’ College 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
Marlborough Boys’ College is a state school, located in Blenheim. It provides education for boys from years 9 to 13. The school’s vision is to inspire and empower their learning community to be the best they can be. This vision is underpinned by the RIPR values: whakanui | respect, whakauru | involved, whakāhi |pride, and kawenga | responsibility.
Marlborough Boys’ College ’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
Hauora : develop a culture of belonging and engagement for all stakeholders with a focus on wellbeing.
Being the best we can be: ākonga are given an equitable opportunity to excel in their learning.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Marlborough Boys’ College ’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the impact on student achievement, agency, and engagement, of embedding the graduate profile throughout teaching, learning, and pastoral care.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
to weave the graduate profile and cultural narrative throughout teaching, learning, and pastoral care
to focus decision making within the kura and identify, measure, and celebrate student achievement based on the graduate profile
the need to continue to support the diverse learning needs of ākonga and their varied intended pathways beyond school.
The school expects to see all ākonga :
engaging in learning that embraces local pūrākau | stories, mātauranga |knowledge, and opportunities
developing skills across the curriculum and articulating their progress towards the four porowhita of the graduate profile: kaihanga rerekētanga | innovators, kaiwhakatere | navigators, tū rangatira | leaders and ākonga taumano |life-long learners
demonstrating greater agency in their learning, progress, and pathways
progressing towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the impact on student achievement, agency, and engagement, of embedding the graduate profile throughout teaching, learning, and pastoral care.
Strengthened links with iwi and mātauranga (through work on Ngā Kawatau me ngā Tūmanakotanga o Te Tauihu and Haerenga with all kura within Te Tauihu | Top of the South) and community consultation, have informed the school’s strategic direction.
The graduate profile was developed in consultation with ākonga , whānau , staff, community, and iwi .
Systems of tracking student progress and achievement are used to identify which ākonga need to make accelerated progress and to collaboratively plan to address their learning needs.
The recent implementation of vertical whānau classes has grown positive, tuakana-teina learning relationships with kaiako | teachers and peers which are promoting the culture of ākonga becoming the best that they can be.
Kaiako have unpacked the porowhita to establish where they are already delivered in learning programmes and to identify further opportunities.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
continuing to work with iwi to develop kaiako confidence and capability to develop and deliver learning programmes incorporating the graduate profile, local pūrākau | stories, mātauranga |knowledge, and opportunities
targeted professional learning to develop teaching practices which better engage all ākonga
consulting ākonga and whānau to determine what success in these skills looks and feels like, how to monitor them and show valued progress
analysing achievement, agency, and engagement data to evaluate the impact of embedding the graduate profile throughout teaching, learning and pastoral care.
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
23 February 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
This school is planning for a future co-location with Marlborough Girls’ College on a new site.
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).