Rongotai College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · State
- Year levels
- 9–13
- Total roll
- 716
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Boys School
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Coutts Street, Kilbirnie, Wellington
- Territorial authority
- Wellington City
- Phone
- 04-9393050
- the.principal@rongotai.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Wellington · schools in Wellington Region
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.
- Uniform
- Required
It is compulsory to wear the complete school uniform between home and school and when attending all school functions and practices.
- Required
- Term dates
- Term 1, 2026: Monday 26 January to Thursday 2 April
Term 1 Monday 26 January to Thursday 2 April
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 1, 2026: Monday 26 January to Thursday 2 April
What does the school say about itself?
Quoted, not summarised. Every school describes itself well, so this is here to be read as the school’s own case rather than as a finding — and a school that states nothing simply has no row.
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.
- In their words
- BEST is the acronym that we use for the values of
- - Being Respectful
- - Encouraging Brotherhood
- - Striving for Excellence
- - Taking Pride
- International students
- Accepted, as stated
Rongotai College can accept boys and works in conjunction with Wellington East Girls’ College, St. Catherine’s College, Evans Bay Intermediate School and Lyall Bay Primary School if groups are of mixed ages and genders.
- Accepted, as stated
What is on offer beyond the classroom?
The sports, arts, clubs and groups this school names on its own website. Not a complete list of what any school offers, and not a count — a school that names more here has written more down, which is not the same as doing more.
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.
- On offer
- Stage Productions
- Stage Productions
- Rongotai College Big Band
Musical Performance, such as the Rongotai College Big Band, show orchestra, Barbershop and the Jazz Combo.
- show orchestra
Musical Performance, such as the Rongotai College Big Band, show orchestra, Barbershop and the Jazz Combo.
- Barbershop
Musical Performance, such as the Rongotai College Big Band, show orchestra, Barbershop and the Jazz Combo.
- Jazz Combo
Musical Performance, such as the Rongotai College Big Band, show orchestra, Barbershop and the Jazz Combo.
- The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is an internationally recognised programme that supports students to learn a new skill, develop their sporting abilities and make a difference to themselves and their community through volunteer service and adventure.
- Interact Club
Interact Club is the community service group of Rongotai College.
- Chinese Club
Chinese Club provides for students who are interested in learning more about Mandarin language and Chinese culture.
- Stage Productions
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 400
- Māori
- 138
- Pacific
- 120
- Asian
- 131
- MELAA
- 63
- Other
- 8
- International
- 23
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 | 30 | 22 | 25 | 10 | 0 | 88 | 0 | 154 |
| Year 10 | 33 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 0 | 67 | 0 | 135 |
| Year 11 | 35 | 31 | 18 | 11 | 0 | 80 | 3 | 144 |
| Year 12 | 23 | 28 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 72 | 17 | 152 |
| Year 13+ | 31 | 20 | 23 | 8 | 1 | 77 | 6 | 134 |
| Total | 152 | 122 | 117 | 53 | 3 | 384 | 26 | 719 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 13 | 29 | 19 | 23 | 8 | 0 | 77 | 0 | 136 |
| Age 14 | 29 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 0 | 68 | 0 | 130 |
| Age 15 | 36 | 35 | 18 | 9 | 0 | 87 | 3 | 149 |
| Age 16 | 23 | 29 | 26 | 9 | 1 | 62 | 10 | 138 |
| Age 17 | 31 | 15 | 22 | 8 | 2 | 76 | 7 | 132 |
| Age 18 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 28 |
| Age 19+ | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Total | 152 | 122 | 117 | 53 | 3 | 384 | 26 | 719 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
91%
| Rongotai College | 91% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 90.8% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 88% |
| State: Not integrated | 83.6% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Male | 91% |
| Māori | 88.6% |
| Pacific | 81.5% |
| Asian | 100% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 94.7% |
| Total | 91% |
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
88.1%
| Rongotai College | 88.1% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 85.3% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 81% |
| State: Not integrated | 75.4% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Male | 88.1% |
| Māori | 88.6% |
| Pacific | 70.4% |
| Asian | 100% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 93.4% |
| Total | 88.1% |
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
75.4%
| Rongotai College | 75.4% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 68.6% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 61.8% |
| State: Not integrated | 55.2% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Male | 75.4% |
| Māori | 74.3% |
| Pacific | 48.1% |
| Asian | 88.9% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 84.2% |
| Total | 75.4% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
14.2%
| Rongotai College | 14.2% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 12.5% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 15.2% |
| State: Not integrated | 14.4% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Male | 14.2% |
| Māori | 17.1% |
| Pacific | 7.4% |
| Asian | 11.1% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 19.7% |
| Total | 14.2% |
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
92.5%
| Rongotai College | 92.5% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 88.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 83.5% |
| State: Not integrated | 81.4% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Male | 92.5% |
| Māori | 91.4% |
| Pacific | 81.5% |
| Asian | 100% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 94.7% |
| Total | 92.5% |
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
22.2%
| Rongotai College | 22.2% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 24.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 35.8% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
|---|---|
| Male | 22.2% |
| Māori | 43.8% |
| Pacific | 27.8% |
| Asian | 5.8% |
| Other | 63% |
| European/Pākehā | 11.8% |
| Total | 22.2% |
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
4.5%
| Rongotai College | 4.5% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 2.6% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 4% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
|---|---|
| Male | 4.5% |
| Māori | 9.7% |
| Pacific | 7.5% |
| Asian | 4.7% |
| Other | 10.5% |
| European/Pākehā | 2.7% |
| Total | 4.5% |
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%
| Rongotai College | 1.9% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 0.9% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
|---|---|
| Male | 1.9% |
| Māori | 8.4% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 5.9% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 1.8% |
| 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)
- 428
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 15 March 1928
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
- 5
- Last reviewed
- 10 October 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (10 October 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 10 October 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 716 — 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 2019
707
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 4 September 2019
April 2016
659
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 7 June 2016
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 10 October 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 12 months of the Education Review Office and Rongotai 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
Rongotai College is a secondary school in the eastern suburbs of Wellington that provides education for boys from Years 9 to 13. The college’s vision is to be a leading contemporary boys’ school, shaped by the past and driven by the future. There is a strong focus on achievement with the college committing itself to developing young men of excellence, underpinned by their BEST values of: being respectful, encouraging brotherhood, striving for excellence, and taking pride.
Rongotai College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are that:
students will experience real success in their learning, and that priority learners are targeted and supported to experience educational success
students will be engaged learners
teachers will continue to develop and refine effective, modern teaching
the college will strengthen relationships with family, whānau , and the wider community and continually evolve to meet their needs and expectations.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Rongotai College’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the impact on student engagement and achievement of effective teaching practices, including designing and delivering differentiated learning.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
a strategic goal to promote excellence in teaching through further development of knowledge, skills and practices to continue to refine effective, modern teaching
the college wishes to align its practices with contemporary education research on the grouping of students
to design learning which accelerates progress for targeted priority learners
to evaluate student learning and engagement, and shifts of teacher practice, after moving to mixed-ability junior classes.
The school expects to see:
improved engagement and achievement of Years 9 and 10 students
an increase in the application of effective, modern teaching practices and learning design across the curriculum
an updated school-wide curriculum, informed by consultation, which is responsive to student needs and aspirations.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the impact on student engagement and achievement of effective teaching practices, including designing and delivering differentiated learning:
a collaboratively developed, shared understanding of teaching excellence at Rongotai College which is informing learning design and review
special programmes for the inclusion of diverse learners operating within the school, including for those with high and complex needs
provision of a variety of pathways in response to students’ needs, strengths, and interests
expectations and targets of high achievement for senior students can be leveraged for the junior school
the school has begun to regularly gather, report and examine student engagement data.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
regular, strategic analysis of engagement and achievement data to measure impact and inform decisions
targeted professional learning for teachers around designing differentiated learning
review across all year levels to ensure the curriculum is engaging, relevant, and aligned with the national curriculum changes.
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
10 October 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 5 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).