Tokomaru School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 71
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 5 Tokomaru East Road, Tokomaru
- Territorial authority
- Horowhenua District
- Phone
- 06-3298780
- officemanager@tokomaru.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Manawatū-Whanganui
Can my child go here?
This school has an enrolment scheme, so a place is not open to every address. How enrolment zones work
Loading zone map…
Zone boundaries shown here are approximate. Ministry of Education data warns these boundaries do not have high spatial precision and can place neighbouring addresses on different sides of a line. This is not a confirmation of enrolment eligibility — always confirm directly with the school. Zone geometry also does not reflect enrolment priority rules (siblings, special character categories, ballots) — it shows the mapped boundary only.
Check if your address is in zone →
Source: Ministry of Education, CC BY 3.0 NZ
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.
- Term dates
- Term 1, 2026: Monday 26th January - Thursday 2nd April
Term 1 | Monday 26th January | Thursday 2nd April
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 2, 2026: Monday 20th April - Friday 3rd July
Term 2 | Monday 20th April | Friday 3rd July
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 3, 2026: Monday 20th July - Friday 25th September
Term 3 | Monday 20th July | Friday 25th September
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 4, 2026: Monday 12th October - Friday 7th December
Term 4 | Monday 12th October | Friday 7th December
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 1, 2026: Monday 26th January - Thursday 2nd 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
- HonestyResponsibilityRespectPerseverance
- We are honest with ourselves, others and our learningWe respect ourselves, others and propertyWe take responsibility for learning and behaviour in our schoolWe never give up
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 62
- Māori
- 23
- Pacific
- 1
- Asian
- 3
- 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 01 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 |
| Year 02 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| Year 03 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 04 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| Year 05 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 06 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
| Year 07 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| Year 08 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Total | 27 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 62 | 0 | 76 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| Age 06 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| Age 07 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 11 |
| Age 08 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 09 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 10 |
| Age 10 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 18 |
| Age 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| Age 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Total | 27 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 62 | 0 | 76 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
23.3%
| Tokomaru School | 23.3% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 45.5% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 38.5% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 26.9% |
| Total | 23.3% |
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%
| Tokomaru School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 6.2% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| 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%
| Tokomaru School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 2.8% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| 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)
- 490
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural settlement
- Date opened
- 30 April 1893
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
- 21 October 2024
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (21 October 2024)
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 same report — the board assurance report of 21 October 2024 — also sets out actions for compliance: the non-compliance ERO identified during that process. This is that section of the report in full, in ERO’s words.
ERO and the board have identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
establish policy and procedure for stand downs, suspensions, exclusions and expulsions [ Education and Training Act 2020; Education (Stand-down, Suspension, Exclusion, and Expulsion) Rules 1999 ]
include all legislative requirements in the school’s Child Protection Policy [ Children’s Act 2014 ]
The board has since taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 21 October 2024 — “School Evaluation Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
School Evaluation 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.
Context
Tokomaru School is a rural primary school providing education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school is in the Horowhenua district south of Palmerston North. A prominent feature of the school is the Learner Pathway, ’the Tokomaru Train’ that guides and empowers students to achieve personal excellence. A new principal was appointed in Term 1, 2024.
There are three parts to this report.
Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report and/or subsequent evaluation.
Part B: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki /bilingual settings.
Part C: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
Part A: Previous Improvement Goals
Since the previous ERO report in July 2022, the school and ERO worked together to evaluate how well school systems and processes support culturally responsive inclusion and hauora for all learners, enabling and empowering all learners with equitable opportunities to learn and achieve personal excellence.
Expected Improvements and Findings
The school expected to see:
Improved outcomes of equity and excellence for all learners, particularly in the areas of writing and mathematics.
Most learners achieve at or above curriculum levels in mathematics and reading, with sustained levels of achievement across the school over time.
Boys’ underachievement in writing is an area the school is addressing.
Most Māori learners are achieving at or above curriculum levels in reading and writing, with achievement in mathematics lower.
Improvement in systems and processes that support culturally responsive inclusion and hauora .
The school has built an evidence base that shows an increase in how learners are engaged in daily classroom programmes that support their hauora and wellbeing.
Learners are beginning to learn more about the local histories of their community and mana whenua , through the school curriculum.
Karakia, waiata and basic te reo Māori are part of daily learning in classrooms; this area remains a continued schoolwide focus for the school.
Recent student voice data indicates that most learners feel respected and positive about their identity and wellbeing.
Other Findings
During the evaluation, it was found that increased progress has been made in the ongoing development of a localised curriculum including establishing connections with mana whenua .
Part B: Current State
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
Learner Success and Wellbeing
Most learners are achieving at expected curriculum levels in reading and mathematics.
Most Māori learners achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in reading and mathematics.
Schoolwide assessment information indicates a pattern of underachievement in writing; several learners, particularly boys, achieve below expected curriculum levels in writing.
The majority of learners attend school regularly; the school has yet to meet the Ministry of Education target for regular attendance and continues to focus on this.
Conditions to support learner success
Leaders use evidence to build a school culture centred on quality teaching and improved learner outcomes.
Leadership is focused on increasing the consistency of teaching programmes to support expectations for high quality teaching and learning.
Positive relationships with education providers and community groups enable learners to access a wide range of high interest learning opportunities that add breadth to the curriculum.
Leaders are working towards further involving whānau and iwi in school decision making.
Teaching is increasingly responsive to the differing needs of learners.
A structured literacy approach in the junior school is beginning to improve learner outcomes in writing.
School systems continue to strengthen how well teachers work together to monitor and support learner progress and achievement.
Respectful and collaborative teacher-learner relationships foster an inclusive environment that promotes student engagement in learning.
The school is strengthening conditions that underpin school improvement.
Leaders and teachers provide regular opportunities for parents and whānau to engage in school life and are increasingly involving whānau as partners in their child’s learning.
Positive learner behaviour and wellbeing is supported and enhanced through established schoolwide values, classroom programmes and student leadership opportunities.
Strengthening the use of data and evidence by teachers and leaders to respond effectively to learner needs is a focus to support ongoing improvement.
Part C: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
improve outcomes for all learners in reading, writing and mathematics, with a particular focus on accelerated progress for those not yet meeting curriculum expectations in writing
strengthen schoolwide consistency in the planning and implementation of teaching and learning in reading, writing and mathematics
strengthen processes, including the use of data, for teachers and leaders to regularly monitor and evaluate the impact of teaching and learning practices on learner progress and achievement
continue to improve rates of regular attendance for all learners.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
school leaders to strengthen processes for monitoring and evaluating the impact of schoolwide implementation plans on students’ progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
strengthen teacher’s critical reflection practices and data use to develop responsive and targeted actions to improve teaching and learning
strengthen monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the impact of annual improvement targets, including attendance, progress and achievement
identify teachers' strengths and needs in the teaching of writing to inform and continue to support professional development requirements.
Every six months:
monitor the consistency and effectiveness of reading, writing and mathematics programmes and their impact on learners’ progress and achievement
review how well assessment information is used to guide effective and responsive teaching and learning
monitor accelerated progress for learners identified at risk of underachieving in reading, writing and mathematics
monitor and report on the impact of strategies used to improve regular attendance rates for all learners.
Annually:
evaluate improvements in literacy and mathematics outcomes for all learners and use this information to identify what is having the most impact for learners and where further improvement is needed
analyse how well reflective monitoring and evaluation processes have improved teaching, learning and assessment practices, and outcomes for learners not yet meeting curriculum expectations
evaluate patterns and improvements in attendance to identify next steps to continue to increase regular rates of student attendance.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
improved rates of student progress, achievement and more equitable outcomes for all learners in reading, writing and mathematics
increased rates of regular attendance for all learners
embedded processes for effective schoolwide monitoring and evaluation of the impact of teaching and learning on learners’ progress and achievement
strengthened systems and processes for gathering and using data and evidence to inform schoolwide improvement priorities and supporting actions.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three 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
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
21 October 2024
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).