St Mary's Catholic School (Tauranga)
Contributing · State : Integrated
- Year levels
- 1–6
- Total roll
- 465
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Thirteenth Avenue, Tauranga
- Territorial authority
- Tauranga City
- Phone
- 07-5788066
- office@stmarystga.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Tauranga · schools in Bay of Plenty
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.
- Getting there
- Eight school buses: three rural services overseen by the Tauranga Network Transport Group and provided by EasyBus, and six urban services managed by Bay of Plenty Regional Council Tauranga and provided by NZBus, Bethlehem Coachlines and others
We have eight school buses transporting students to and from school. The Tauranga Network Transport Group oversees rural services provided by EasyBus, while the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Tauranga manages the urban routes provided by NZBus, Bethlehem Coachlines, and others.
- Eight school buses: three rural services overseen by the Tauranga Network Transport Group and provided by EasyBus, and six urban services managed by Bay of Plenty Regional Council Tauranga and provided by NZBus, Bethlehem Coachlines and others
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.
- International students
- Accepted, as stated
As a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students, we are able to enrol a limited number of students (Years 1–6) who are living in New Zealand with their parent(s).
- Accepted, as stated
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 273
- Māori
- 28
- Pacific
- 14
- Asian
- 195
- MELAA
- 23
- Other
- 0
- International
- 7
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 | 4 | 1 | 38 | 3 | 3 | 38 | 0 | 76 |
| Year 02 | 4 | 3 | 26 | 4 | 2 | 35 | 0 | 66 |
| Year 03 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 1 | 66 |
| Year 04 | 11 | 2 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 44 | 1 | 77 |
| Year 05 | 4 | 2 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 3 | 82 |
| Year 06 | 7 | 5 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 50 | 1 | 75 |
| Year 07 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 16 |
| Total | 34 | 16 | 180 | 19 | 6 | 264 | 6 | 458 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 4 | 1 | 35 | 3 | 2 | 38 | 0 | 72 |
| Age 06 | 4 | 2 | 27 | 4 | 3 | 34 | 0 | 66 |
| Age 07 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 1 | 67 |
| Age 08 | 11 | 2 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 42 | 1 | 75 |
| Age 09 | 4 | 2 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 3 | 77 |
| Age 10 | 7 | 4 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 58 | 1 | 83 |
| Age 11 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 18 |
| Total | 34 | 16 | 180 | 19 | 6 | 264 | 6 | 458 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| St Mary's Catholic School (Tauranga) | 0% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 37.4% |
| 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 Mary's Catholic School (Tauranga) | 0% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 3.8% |
| 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 Mary's Catholic School (Tauranga) | 0% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 1.4% |
| 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)
- 385
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 25 January 1942
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
- 29 May 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (29 May 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 29 May 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 465 — 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.
November 2016
459
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 3 February 2017
September 2013
388
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 11 November 2013
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 29 May 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 18 months of the Education Review Office and St Mary’s Catholic 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
St Mary’s Catholic School is located in Tauranga and caters for students from Years 1 to 6. The school’s special Catholic character is reflected in the environment, the curriculum and in the everyday life of the school.
St Mary’s Catholic School’s ( Tauranga ) strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
build the school’s capacity and capability in literacy and assessment through evidence-based practices and tools
review embedded systems and teaching and learning practices in literacy and how these are impacting on the progress and achievement of all learners, with a particular focus on Māori , Pacific, and priority learners.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on St Mary’s Catholic School’s (Tauranga) website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the school’s literacy and assessment practices improve learners’ outcomes and achievement.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
an identified need to strengthen assessment practices
to improve outcomes for literacy learning, with a particular focus on Māori learners, Pacific learners, and boys
to establish consistent teaching practices and experiences in literacy that are sustainable for teachers and students and provide equitable opportunities for all learners.
The school expects to see:
enhanced practices and clear expectations around the teaching of literacy, resulting in improved learners’ engagement, attitude, and achievement outcomes
effective assessment systems and practices that identify the progress and learning needs of all, with a focus on priority learners.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to improve students' achievement in literacy :
a strong and diverse leadership team committed to improving educational outcomes for all students, particularly Māori and Pacific students
a team of teachers committed to continually strengthening their teaching practices
effective internal evaluation practices.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
developing a consistent teaching and learning approach to improve learners’ achievement in literacy particularly for Māori , Pacific, and priority students
embedding Intervention programmes for learners requiring extra support
establishing effective assessment practices, including formative assessment that empower students to lead their learning.
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
29 May 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).