Whanganui Girls' College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · State
- Year levels
- 9–13
- Total roll
- 364
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Girls School
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 21 Jones Street, Whanganui East, Whanganui
- Territorial authority
- Whanganui District
- Phone
- 06-3490944
- admin@wgc.ac.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Manawatū-Whanganui
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 272
- Māori
- 130
- Pacific
- 35
- Asian
- 17
- MELAA
- 4
- Other
- 5
- International
- 2
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 09 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 54 |
| Year 10 | 26 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 71 | 0 | 92 |
| Year 11 | 33 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 57 | 3 | 82 |
| Year 12 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 4 | 62 |
| Year 13+ | 19 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 52 | 1 | 62 |
| Total | 113 | 28 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 264 | 8 | 352 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 13 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 47 |
| Age 14 | 23 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 63 | 0 | 82 |
| Age 15 | 31 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 57 | 1 | 80 |
| Age 16 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 6 | 76 |
| Age 17 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 1 | 53 |
| Age 18 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 12 |
| Age 19+ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 113 | 28 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 264 | 8 | 352 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
83.5%
| Whanganui Girls' College | 83.5% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 84.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 88% |
| State: Not integrated | 83.6% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 83.5% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 85.2% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 83.3% |
| Total | 83.5% |
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
81%
| Whanganui Girls' College | 81% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 76.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 81% |
| State: Not integrated | 75.4% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 81% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 81.5% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 81.8% |
| Total | 81% |
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
65.8%
| Whanganui Girls' College | 65.8% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 55.5% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 61.8% |
| State: Not integrated | 55.2% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 65.8% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 70.4% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 68.2% |
| Total | 65.8% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
20.3%
| Whanganui Girls' College | 20.3% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 14.5% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 15.2% |
| State: Not integrated | 14.4% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 20.3% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 25.9% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 21.2% |
| Total | 20.3% |
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
77.2%
| Whanganui Girls' College | 77.2% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 81.1% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 83.5% |
| State: Not integrated | 81.4% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 77.2% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 77.8% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 77.3% |
| Total | 77.2% |
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
| Total | 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 |
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
35.6%
| Whanganui Girls' College | 35.6% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 45.5% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 35.8% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 35.6% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Māori | 58.8% |
| Pacific | 86.6% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 25% |
| Total | 35.6% |
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
10.7%
| Whanganui Girls' College | 10.7% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 6.2% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 4% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 10.7% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Māori | 32% |
| Pacific | 28.7% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 10.3% |
| Total | 10.7% |
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
1.6%
| Whanganui Girls' College | 1.6% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 2.8% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 1.6% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Māori | 4.9% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 2.1% |
| Total | 1.6% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 493
- Boarding
- Yes
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Large urban area
- Date opened
- 25 January 1891
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
- 8 August 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (8 August 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 8 August 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.
What this report states about the school
As stated in ERO’s report of 8 August 2023 — not necessarily the position now. Each line quotes the sentence it came from.
- Also provides
- Ad Astra Boarding Hostel
Ad Astra Boarding Hostel
- Ad Astra Boarding Hostel
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 364 — 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
368
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 13 June 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 8 August 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 8 months of the Education Review Office and Whanganui Girls’ 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
Whanganui Girls’ College is located in Central Whanganui and is the only school in Whanganui to provide education for young women in Years 9-13. It prioritises providing academic, social, sporting and creative learning experiences for their ākonga so that they are prepared for the challenges they will face in an ever-changing world. A new principal was appointed in term four of 2022.
Whanganui Girls’ College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for ākonga are:
achievement for all
encourage positive relationships while focusing on the wellbeing and safety of the school community
individual learning potential is recognised and valued
provide quality resources, infrastructure, and facilities.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Whanganui Girls’ College’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well teaching and learning is being responsive to the learning needs of ākonga in the Junior School so that they are provided with a strong foundation for success in the senior school.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to ensure ākonga are provided with:
a curriculum that is culturally sustaining
classroom practices and learning experiences that meet the individual needs of each ākonga .
The school expects to see:
strengthened formative and summative assessment practices that inform teacher planning and next steps in learning
the use of learning progressions to address the needs of ākonga in a multi-level learning environment
robust systems and processes for the tracking and monitoring of ākonga progress in the junior school
culturally located practices and a place-based curriculum
excellent and equitable outcomes for all learners.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to ensure equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners:
positive school-wide culture grounded in strong relationships between staff, students and their whānau
pastoral and academic support and mentoring systems focused on the individual need of each student
collaborative staff focused on developing and embedding practices that support improved and successful outcomes for all ākonga
a cohesive leadership team who provide the conditions for staff to grow and strengthen their collective teaching and learning capacity and capability
ākonga are actively involved in decision making relating to their learning and wider experiences within the school.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
the development of a school-wide assessment framework in literacy and numeracy in the junior school
professional learning in effective assessment practices
deepening teacher understanding of national curriculum levels in literacy and numeracy enabling them to raise ākonga achievement in literacy and numeracy
a coherent school-wide strategy for the development and implementation of a curriculum informed by the mātauranga of local hapū and iwi
the use of the Effective Teacher Profile (ETP) in planning, teaching and learning.
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
8 August 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
This school has:
Ad Astra Boarding Hostel
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).