Totara College of Accelerated Learning
Composite · State : Integrated
- Year levels
- not reported
- Total roll
- 81
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 3 Ruahine Street, Dannevirke
- Territorial authority
- Tararua District
- Phone
- 06-3746165
- office@totaracollege.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Manawatū-Whanganui
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 2 February - Thursday 2 April
Monday 2 February - Thursday 2 April
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 2, 2026: Monday 20 April - Friday 3 July
Monday 20 April - Friday 3 July
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 3, 2026: Monday 20 July - Friday 25 Sep
Monday 20 July - Friday 25 Sep
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 4, 2026: Monday 12 October - Tuesday 15 Dec
Monday 12 October - Tuesday 15 Dec
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 1, 2026: Monday 2 February - 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.
- Special character
- At Totara College, our special character is non-denominational Christian with a definition given in the statement of faith that parents sign on enrolment.
- Essentially, we operate from a fundamental, bible-based, Christ-centred, Christian doctrine with a realisation that different denominations do differ in their approach to certain topics; and this is healthy.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 64
- Māori
- 17
- Pacific
- 6
- Asian
- 4
- MELAA
- 6
- 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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 02 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 03 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| Year 04 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 05 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Year 06 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Year 07 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 08 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Year 09 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 |
| Year 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 12 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Year 13+ | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 22 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 59 | 0 | 74 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 06 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 07 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| Age 08 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 09 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Age 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 12 |
| Age 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| Age 16 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 19+ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 22 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 59 | 0 | 74 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
100%
| Totara College of Accelerated Learning | 100% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 84.7% |
| Composite (Year 1-15) | 91.4% |
| State: Integrated | 95.8% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Not applicable |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Not applicable |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | 100% |
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
100%
| Totara College of Accelerated Learning | 100% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 76.7% |
| Composite (Year 1-15) | 86% |
| State: Integrated | 92.1% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Not applicable |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Not applicable |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | 100% |
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
60%
| Totara College of Accelerated Learning | 60% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 55.5% |
| Composite (Year 1-15) | 71.7% |
| State: Integrated | 77.7% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Not applicable |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Not applicable |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | 60% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
0%
| Totara College of Accelerated Learning | 0% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 14.5% |
| Composite (Year 1-15) | 16% |
| State: Integrated | 13.5% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Not applicable |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Not applicable |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | 0% |
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
80%
| Totara College of Accelerated Learning | 80% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 81.1% |
| Composite (Year 1-15) | 86.6% |
| State: Integrated | 91.1% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Not applicable |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Not applicable |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | 80% |
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
26%
| Totara College of Accelerated Learning | 26% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 45.5% |
| Composite (Year 1-15) | 26.5% |
| State : Integrated | 16.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 54.3% |
| Māori | 37.1% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 15.7% |
| Total | 26% |
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%
| Totara College of Accelerated Learning | 0% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 6.2% |
| Composite (Year 1-15) | 3.2% |
| 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%
| Totara College of Accelerated Learning | 0% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 2.8% |
| Composite (Year 1-15) | 1.2% |
| 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)
- 498
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Small urban area
- Date opened
- 21 May 1978
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
- 22 January 2024
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (22 January 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 22 January 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:
Complied with the requirement to adopt a statement on the delivery of the Health Curriculum, at least once every two years after consultation with the school community. [Section 91 Education and Training Act 2020]
The board has since taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.
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 81 — 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.
March 2018
65
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 31 May 2018
This is one count taken for one report. It says what the roll was on that day, and nothing about how the roll has moved.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 22 January 2024 — “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 nine months of the Education Review Office and Totara College of Accelerated Learning 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
Totara College of Accelerated Learning ’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
Focus on broadening the range of engaging and fun learning opportunities for all students.
Improving resourcing to facilitate high quality teaching and learning.
Growing partnerships and facilities to give high quality individualised learning opportunities and career pathways for secondary students.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Totara College of Accelerated Learning ’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how changes to the school curriculum can improve outcomes for secondary students, particularly those in need of individualised pathways, leading to success in qualifications and career direction.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
to increase the engagement of students across a wide range of learning opportunities
to provide curriculum experiences that raise students’ awareness and knowledge of their local stories, histories, places and people
to provide secondary students with opportunities to grow and learn about themselves and their town, leading to a firm career/further study direction when they leave school.
The school expects to see:
students learning in an environment in which teachers utilise information and modern teaching strategies to plan and implement programmes to improve student engagement, achievement, and wellbeing
students who need to make accelerated progress making shifts in achievement.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to make changes to the curriculum which keep core Christian values as part of an engaging localised curriculum:
positive relationships with students and whānau that support engagement in learning
school values that are well known and consistently enacted to support the wellbeing of all
established partnerships with local tertiary providers that support students to follow a variety of learning pathways
increasing access to a range of facilities and resources to facilitate learning and engagement.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
the refinement and implementation of the revised curriculum that aligns with the PACE model while providing opportunities for secondary students to “understand, know, do” through local and nationwide stories and contexts
review assessment practices and use of achievement information to inform curriculum redevelopment and improve outcomes for learners across the curriculum
shared opportunities for professional learning amongst teachers to engage students in collaborative learning activities.
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
22 January 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).