Ruru Special School
Specialist School · State
- Year levels
- not reported
- Total roll
- 128
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Ruru Street, Invercargill
- Territorial authority
- Invercargill City
- Phone
- 03-2159379
- angela@rurued.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.rurued.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Invercargill · schools in Southland
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 87
- Māori
- 38
- Pacific
- 13
- Asian
- 11
- MELAA
- 3
- Other
- 1
- 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 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Year 02 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 03 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 04 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 05 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 06 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 07 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 12 |
| Year 08 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 |
| Year 09 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 12 |
| Year 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| Year 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| Year 13+ | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 25 |
| Total | 41 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 78 | 0 | 120 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
| Age 06 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 |
| Age 07 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 08 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 09 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 12 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 11 |
| Age 13 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 11 |
| Age 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 11 |
| Age 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Age 19+ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 12 |
| Total | 41 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 78 | 0 | 120 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2024
18.8%
| Ruru Special School | 18.8% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 82.7% |
| Specialist School | 12.9% |
| State: Not integrated | 82.6% |
| New Zealand | 84.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 25% |
| Total | 18.8% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 1 data (2022-2024)
Percentage with NCEA level 2 or above — 2024
6.3%
| Ruru Special School | 6.3% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 74.5% |
| Specialist School | 6.5% |
| State: Not integrated | 73.6% |
| New Zealand | 76.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 8.3% |
| Total | 6.3% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 2 data (2022-2024)
Percentage with NCEA level 3 or above — 2024
0%
| Ruru Special School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 44.5% |
| Specialist School | 1.8% |
| State: Not integrated | 51.4% |
| New Zealand | 55.5% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2022-2024)
Percentage with VP Award — 2024
6.3%
| Ruru Special School | 6.3% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 13.9% |
| Specialist School | 0.7% |
| State: Not integrated | 11.8% |
| New Zealand | 11.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 8.3% |
| Total | 6.3% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison Vocational Pathway data (2022-2024)
Retention
Percentage staying until at least 17th birthday — 2024
87.5%
| Ruru Special School | 87.5% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 75.2% |
| Specialist School | 75.5% |
| State: Not integrated | 79% |
| New Zealand | 81% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 83.3% |
| Total | 87.5% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison trend data (2022-2024)
— 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 1: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education one year after leaving school (2021-2023 leaver cohorts)
— 2022
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 (2020-2022 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 1: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education one year after leaving school (2021-2023 leaver cohorts)
— 2022
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 (2020-2022 leaver cohorts)
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
45.7%
| Ruru Special School | 45.7% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 61.8% |
| Specialist School | 24.1% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 62.6% |
| Māori | 107.9% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 28% |
| Total | 45.7% |
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%
| Ruru Special School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 6.3% |
| 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%
| Ruru Special School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 2.8% |
| 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)
- 519
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Large urban area
- Date opened
- 25 January 1963
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
We have no ERO reports on record for this school. That can mean ERO has not published one yet, or that we have not matched one — it is not a finding about the school. ero.govt.nz is the place to check.
Roll date: 30 June 2026 (2026).