St Francis Xavier School (Mornington)
Contributing · State : Integrated
- Year levels
- 1–6
- Total roll
- 96
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 27 Benhar Street, Mornington, Dunedin
- Territorial authority
- Dunedin City
- Phone
- 03-4534446
- office@stfrancisxavier.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Dunedin · schools in Otago
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.
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.
- Special character
- The Special Character of our school is the fundamental purpose of the school’s existence. Christian values shape the lives of the children, staff and parents/caregivers and are incorporated into all school systems, policies and relationships.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 62
- Māori
- 5
- Pacific
- 1
- Asian
- 35
- MELAA
- 1
- 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 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Year 02 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 20 |
| Year 03 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 18 |
| Year 04 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 17 |
| Year 05 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 17 |
| Year 06 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 16 |
| Year 07 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 9 | 1 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 67 | 0 | 100 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 06 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 17 |
| Age 07 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 19 |
| Age 08 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 17 |
| Age 09 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 18 |
| Age 10 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 18 |
| Age 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 9 | 1 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 67 | 0 | 100 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| St Francis Xavier School (Mornington) | 0% |
|---|---|
| Otago Region | 36.8% |
| Contributing | 35.6% |
| State : Integrated | 16.2% |
| 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%
| St Francis Xavier School (Mornington) | 0% |
|---|---|
| Otago Region | 4.6% |
| Contributing | 3.5% |
| State : Integrated | 1.6% |
| 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%
| St Francis Xavier School (Mornington) | 0% |
|---|---|
| Otago Region | 2% |
| Contributing | 1.5% |
| State : Integrated | 0.5% |
| 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)
- 387
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 31 January 1919
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
- 3
- Last reviewed
- 1 April 2026
- Latest report
- School Report
- Report type
- Review report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (9 August 2022)
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 9 August 2022 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.
What this report states about the school
As stated in ERO’s report of 1 April 2026 — not necessarily the position now. Each line quotes the sentence it came from.
- Year levels
- Years 1 to 6
providing education for students from Years 1 to 6
- Years 1 to 6
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 1 April 2026 — “School Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
School Report
Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.
We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.
Every New Zealand state and state integrated school has an ERO review at least once every four years to evaluate what is working well for learners and what needs to be improved.
About the School
St Francis Xavier School (Mornington) is a special character Catholic state integrated school providing education for students from Years 1 to 6.
The school was founded by the Mercy Sisters. The school’s core values are kindness/ manaakitanga , respect/ whakaute , honesty/ pono , responsibility/ kawenga . The school has a roll of 93 students, comprising 50% Pākehā /New Zealand European, 38% Asian, 7% Māori , 6% Middle Eastern, Latin American or African and 4% other European.
Education Counts provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement, school enrolments and school zones. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
An explanation of the terms and judgements used in this report can be found here: Reporting | Education Review Office
Improvement and progress
This section is about the progress the school has made since the August 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.
Expected improvements
The school’s intentions were to establish a consistent approach to evaluation across the school and to evaluate the impact of the Structured Literacy approach on students’ writing.
Findings
The school made a significant change in the teaching of spelling and reading following the approach of Structured Literacy to prioritise changes to the curriculum in literacy. Teachers and leaders have undertaken appropriate professional development and structured literacy programmes have been fully implemented throughout the school. The school deliberately used this approach to benefit all groups of learners. The school has strengthened evaluation capability across the school by modifying their assessment tools, using the approach of Assessment for Learning. Staff, the board and whānau are now better informed. The Board has continued to support strategic change when required.
What we know about learner success
This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and the evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.
How well are learners succeeding? Learners experience high levels of success and make excellent progress; outcomes are similarly high for all groups.
What is the quality of teaching and learning? Learners benefit from excellent quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.
How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs? Learners have rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in foundational skills in literacy and mathematics. Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals.
How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement? School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established.
How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing? The school successfully promotes learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.
How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners? The school reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress. The school is improving its collection and use of information gathered through community consultation to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.
Student Health and Safety The school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety.
Achievement in 1 to 6
This section is about learner achievement. It outlines how well learners across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level of The New Zealand Curriculum in foundational skills.
Less than a third Less than half Small majority Large majority Most Almost all
0 to 33% 34 to 49% 50 to 64% 65 to 79% 80 to 90% Over 90%
Reading Almost all learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.
Writing Almost all learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.
Mathematics Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.
Attendance
This section is about school attendance and the progress the school is making towards meeting the Government target of 80% regular attendance.
The large majority of learners attend school regularly.
The school is approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.
The school has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.
Regular attendance is improving towards or beyond the target.
Chronic absence is not yet reducing over time.
Assessment
This section is about how the school assesses learner progress and achievement.
The school uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to find out about achievement against the curriculum.
Assessment information is used well to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.
Progress
This section is about how well the school supports all learners to make sufficient progress.
The school has good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.
The school has significantly improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.
The school has to some extent extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.
The school is meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets set for 2030.
Next steps for improvement
This section provides more detail for the school to include in its strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school. It outlines what the school is doing well and identifies actions for improvement.
Areas of strength
Leaders drive continuous improvement, set high expectations for teaching, learning, and student success and foster a supportive and collaborative staff environment.
Learners experience a strong sense of belonging and connection to the school and benefit from the support of staff and leaders who build a culture of care.
Staff demonstrate extensive knowledge of the learners and their whānau, providing equitable opportunities that ensure inclusion, learning, and success.
The school’s values are used to promote positive behaviour, wellbeing and engagement in learning.
Teachers embed structured literacy across the school and implemented a structured mathematics programme, enhanced by targeted professional learning.
Meaningful community partnerships support the school to identify and achieve strategic goals for learning and achievement.
Key priorities
Align New Zealand Curriculum changes in assessment with current schoolwide processes and assessment practices.
Further create learning conditions where students develop agency by taking initiative, making choices, and engaging in their learning.
Engage with the school community to develop strategies to increase rates of student attendance.
Actions to bring about improvement
Every six months:
leaders and teachers analyse student attendance, progress and achievement to inform planning, then review and adjust as needed
leaders and teachers refine and monitor schoolwide teaching and learning in structured literacy and mathematics to promote ongoing student engagement and achievement
Annually:
leaders evaluate schoolwide assessment processes to inform and further strengthen teaching and learning, and alignment to the New Zealand Curriculum changes
leaders and the board work together to evaluate the effectiveness of the attendance plan and develop strategies for the following year to support ongoing improvement
leaders evaluate the impact of professional learning on teaching practice and learners’ progress, achievement and outcomes.
Expected outcomes
Strengthened school-wide assessment practices that align with curriculum changes and effectively inform next steps in learning with improved outcomes for all learners.
Improved regular attendance.
Sustained and improved excellent and equitable outcomes for all learners.
Regulatory and legislative requirements
This section of the report is about how the school meets regulatory and legislative requirements.
Board assurance with regulatory and legislative requirements
This section of the report reviews the school's policies, procedures, documentation, and checks that it meets all regulations, maintains a safe environment, and supports students' wellbeing.
During this review the Board has attested to meeting regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:
Board administration
Yes
Curriculum
Yes
Management of health, safety and welfare
Yes
Personnel management
Yes
The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Report and is due within four years.
Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children
Sharon Kelly Director of Schools
1 April 2026
Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →
All 3 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).