Villa Maria College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · State : Integrated
- Year levels
- 7–13
- Total roll
- 829
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Girls School
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 21 Peer Street, Upper Riccarton, Christchurch
- Territorial authority
- Christchurch City
- Phone
- 03-3484165
- villa@villa.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.villa.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Christchurch · schools in Canterbury
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
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 627
- Māori
- 107
- Pacific
- 70
- Asian
- 171
- MELAA
- 27
- Other
- 17
- International
- 23
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 07 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 43 | 1 | 52 |
| Year 08 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 46 | 1 | 52 |
| Year 09 | 21 | 15 | 34 | 3 | 3 | 116 | 3 | 154 |
| Year 10 | 13 | 17 | 32 | 4 | 1 | 117 | 5 | 153 |
| Year 11 | 22 | 8 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 115 | 4 | 147 |
| Year 12 | 23 | 10 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 102 | 5 | 137 |
| Year 13+ | 17 | 18 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 95 | 5 | 129 |
| Total | 105 | 72 | 128 | 21 | 10 | 634 | 24 | 824 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 0 | 38 |
| Age 12 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 43 | 2 | 52 |
| Age 13 | 25 | 13 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 107 | 0 | 137 |
| Age 14 | 9 | 14 | 36 | 5 | 2 | 114 | 5 | 153 |
| Age 15 | 24 | 12 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 117 | 5 | 152 |
| Age 16 | 22 | 8 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 101 | 5 | 133 |
| Age 17 | 17 | 20 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 101 | 6 | 135 |
| Age 18 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 24 |
| Total | 105 | 72 | 128 | 21 | 10 | 634 | 24 | 824 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
99.2%
| Villa Maria College | 99.2% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 87.1% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 89.6% |
| State: Integrated | 95.8% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 99.2% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 100% |
| Pacific | 100% |
| Asian | 100% |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 99% |
| Total | 99.2% |
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
98.5%
| Villa Maria College | 98.5% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 79.6% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 83.3% |
| State: Integrated | 92.1% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 98.5% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 100% |
| Pacific | 94.7% |
| Asian | 100% |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 99% |
| Total | 98.5% |
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
89.3%
| Villa Maria College | 89.3% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 59% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 64.5% |
| State: Integrated | 77.7% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 89.3% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 94.4% |
| Pacific | 84.2% |
| Asian | 100% |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 89% |
| Total | 89.3% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
11.5%
| Villa Maria College | 11.5% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 13.7% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 14.7% |
| State: Integrated | 13.5% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 11.5% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 16.7% |
| Pacific | 10.5% |
| Asian | 10% |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 12% |
| Total | 11.5% |
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
96.2%
| Villa Maria College | 96.2% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 83.6% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 83.1% |
| State: Integrated | 91.1% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 96.2% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 100% |
| Pacific | 94.7% |
| Asian | 100% |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 96% |
| Total | 96.2% |
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
11.3%
| Villa Maria College | 11.3% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 38.3% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 43.4% |
| State : Integrated | 16.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 11.3% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Māori | 18.3% |
| Pacific | 39.2% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 12.1% |
| Total | 11.3% |
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%
| Villa Maria College | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 3.7% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 4.6% |
| State : Integrated | 1.6% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| Villa Maria College | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 1.7% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 2% |
| State : Integrated | 0.5% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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)
- 411
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 30 January 1918
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
- 10 October 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (10 October 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 10 October 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 829 — 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.
May 2019
824
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 24 June 2019
April 2013
743
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 6 June 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 10 October 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 four months of the Education Review Office and Villa Maria College 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
Villa Maria College is a Catholic, state-integrated school in Christchurch. It provides education for girls from Years 7 to 13. The school’s mission is to empower each young woman to determine her potential, live Gospel values, confidently embrace lifelong learning and, as a Mercy woman, be inspired to make a difference.
Villa Maria College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
enhance connections and relationships in the Villa Maria College community that promote engagement
provide a robust and future-focused academic programme, that engages all learners to strive for personal excellence
develop cohesive and holistic Years 7 to 11 learning programmes, investigating opportunities for cross curricular collaboration
ensure student literacy and numeracy underpins teaching to prepare students for lifelong learning
enable students and staff to build a Catholic community that lives the gospel values of Atawhai Mai, Atawahi Atu | Mercy received, Mercy given.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Villa Maria College’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the impact of its reviewed Years 7 to 11 learning programmes on student engagement, agency, and achievement outcomes.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:
ensure every student sees themselves in the school's learning programmes and is excited, enthusiastic, and curious about learning
prioritise hauora , increase engagement and student choice through more holistic learning programmes in Years 7 to 11.
The school expects to see improved Years 7 to 11 student engagement, agency and achievement especially for identified priority learners.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the impact of its reviewed Years 7 to 11 learning programmes on student engagement, agency, and achievement outcomes:
the special character, based on the Catholic and Mercy charism forms the foundation for learning review and design
the school identifies and responds to learners’ needs and there is equity in achievement outcomes
a systematic approach to reviewing and evaluating is used to measure the impact of initiatives
kaiako and kaiawhina are increasing their understanding and use of te reo and mātauranga Māori , and Pacific cultural competencies, so they can be meaningfully incorporated into learning.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
targeted professional learning to build capacity in learning design, assessment for learning, cultural competencies, and for teaching literacy and numeracy skills
designing flexible, future-focused teaching and learning programmes for Years 7 to 11, which are responsive to the needs of diverse ākonga , the local context and circumstances
monitoring student achievement, agency, and engagement data to measure the impact of the reviewed learning programmes.
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
10 October 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).