Opunake High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · State
- Year levels
- 9–13
- Total roll
- 319
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Tasman Street, Opunake
- Territorial authority
- South Taranaki District
- Phone
- 06-7618723
- admin@opunake.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Taranaki
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 251
- Māori
- 144
- Pacific
- 13
- Asian
- 27
- MELAA
- 3
- 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 09 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 42 | 0 | 55 |
| Year 10 | 33 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 0 | 74 |
| Year 11 | 38 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 65 | 0 | 79 |
| Year 12 | 26 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 50 | 0 | 63 |
| Year 13+ | 17 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 36 |
| Total | 143 | 13 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 247 | 0 | 307 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 13 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 43 |
| Age 14 | 39 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 69 | 0 | 82 |
| Age 15 | 33 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 0 | 69 |
| Age 16 | 26 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 50 | 0 | 60 |
| Age 17 | 19 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 44 |
| Age 18 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 19+ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 143 | 13 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 247 | 0 | 307 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
86.4%
| Opunake High School | 86.4% |
|---|---|
| Taranaki Region | 88.4% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 88% |
| State: Not integrated | 83.6% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 90% |
|---|---|
| Male | 82.8% |
| Māori | 89.7% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 87.8% |
| Total | 86.4% |
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
81.4%
| Opunake High School | 81.4% |
|---|---|
| Taranaki Region | 79.6% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 81% |
| State: Not integrated | 75.4% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 90% |
|---|---|
| Male | 72.4% |
| Māori | 86.2% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 82.9% |
| Total | 81.4% |
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
52.5%
| Opunake High School | 52.5% |
|---|---|
| Taranaki Region | 58.2% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 61.8% |
| State: Not integrated | 55.2% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 53.3% |
|---|---|
| Male | 51.7% |
| Māori | 51.7% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 56.1% |
| Total | 52.5% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
20.3%
| Opunake High School | 20.3% |
|---|---|
| Taranaki Region | 17.3% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 15.2% |
| State: Not integrated | 14.4% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 23.3% |
|---|---|
| Male | 17.2% |
| Māori | 17.2% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 19.5% |
| Total | 20.3% |
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
67.8%
| Opunake High School | 67.8% |
|---|---|
| Taranaki Region | 76.9% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 83.5% |
| State: Not integrated | 81.4% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 70% |
|---|---|
| Male | 65.5% |
| Māori | 65.5% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 70.7% |
| Total | 67.8% |
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
80%
| Opunake High School | 80% |
|---|---|
| Taranaki Region | 41.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 35.8% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 84.5% |
|---|---|
| Male | 76.9% |
| Māori | 95.9% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 71.6% |
| Total | 80% |
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
3.1%
| Opunake High School | 3.1% |
|---|---|
| Taranaki Region | 4.1% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 4% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 7% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 6.6% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 2% |
| Total | 3.1% |
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
1.9%
| Opunake High School | 1.9% |
|---|---|
| Taranaki Region | 1.6% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 4.1% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 3.9% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 1.9% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 503
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Small urban area
- Date opened
- 28 February 1925
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 January 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (26 January 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 board assurance report of 26 January 2023 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 319 — 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.
September 2017
331
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 14 November 2017
July 2014
315
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 11 September 2014
We draw no line between these. Each was counted for its own report, years apart, by a different review team, and a roll moves between reviews for reasons none of these figures record — so the difference between any two of them measures nothing.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 26 January 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.
Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
This Profile Report was written within 9 months of the Education Review Office and Opunake 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
Opunake High School is a coeducational high school located in Ōpunake , Taranaki . It provides education for learners from year 9 to 13. A new permanent school principal was appointed in term 3, 2021.
Opunake High School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
Huarahi : Data, structures and teaching strategies will be used to raise overall achievement in NCEA, and in year 9 and 10 literacy. There will be a continuing focus on target and priority learners
Hauora : Relationship-based learning, positive behaviour for learning, strengthening feeder school connections, and mentoring programmes, will increase student resilience, attendance, engagement, and academic success with a particular focus on Māori
Hāpori : Mentoring programmes, community-based events and experts will help increase community involvement in our kura , with a particular focus on engagement of Māori whānau .
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Opunake High School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the school improves the literacy progress of year 9 and year 10 learners.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
the positive impact that improved literacy will have on learner pathway options beyond school
deliberate, consistently used, and collectively understood, research-based literacy strategies will support more equitable and excellent learner outcomes in all curriculum areas.
The school expects to see:
deliberate use of literacy strategies used across the curriculum
a growing community-wide understanding of the importance of literacy
all learners in year 9 and 10 showing improved progress in literacy.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how effectively the school improves the literacy progress of year 9 and year 10 learners:
clear strategic intent to improve literacy schoolwide through carefully aligned school systems
planned and ongoing professional learning of effective literacy strategies
internal expertise and knowledge that can lead and embed effective literacy practices across the school.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
identifying and using effective and consistent literacy strategies across the curriculum in year 9 and year 10
working with whānau to help learners develop strong literacy skills and confidence
using literacy data to find out what is working, what is not working, and for whom
using the evidence above to inform decision making.
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.
Phil Cowie Director Review and Improvement Services (Central) Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
26 January 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).