Whataroa School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 20
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 65 Scally Road, Whataroa
- Territorial authority
- Westland District
- Phone
- 027-7534061
- principal@whataroa.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in West Coast
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
- A school bus contracted by the Ministry of Education; the driver is Bern Friend
We have a bus that is contracted by the Ministry of Education. Contact the school to see if you are eligible to be a part of this service, if so your name and contact details will then be passed on to Bern Friend the driver and to the Ministry of Education.
- A school bus contracted by the Ministry of Education; the driver is Bern Friend
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
- Manaakitanga / Respect
- To encompass & value all school families & the wider community
- Ako / Study & Advise
- To maintaint the highest standard of teaching and learning
- Titiro Whakamua / Looking Forward
- Children will develop with confidence & competence to succeed in the ever changing world
- Ahuareka / Celebration
- Celebrate all achievements through a positive environment
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 17
- Māori
- 3
- Pacific
- 0
- Asian
- 0
- MELAA
- 0
- 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 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 02 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 03 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 04 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Year 05 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Year 06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Year 07 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 08 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 20 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 06 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 07 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 08 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 09 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Age 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 20 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Whataroa School | 0% |
|---|---|
| West Coast Region | 76.2% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| Whataroa School | 0% |
|---|---|
| West Coast Region | 4.5% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| Whataroa School | 0% |
|---|---|
| West Coast Region | 2% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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)
- 482
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural other
- Date opened
- 30 June 1879
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
- 3
- Last reviewed
- 13 March 2024
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (13 March 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 board assurance report of 13 March 2024 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 20 — 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
35
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 13 August 2019
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 13 March 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 six months of the Education Review Office and Whataroa 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
Whataroa School is a small Year 0 to 8 school situated in South Westland. The school draws its learners from throughout the local region. Its mission is “to gift our children the passion to be the best they can be in all areas of learning.”
Whataroa School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
sustain a future focused, local and culturally responsive curriculum
empower learners to make powerful and positive choices about their future
foster a strengths-based reciprocal relationship between school, whānau and the wider community.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Whataroa School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the impact of the school’s localised curriculum on developing learners’ key competencies and foundational skills.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
learners and whānau have identified the values and attributes the school should develop for its learners to thrive in a future focused world
to build these competencies, together with foundational literacy and numeracy skills, through the context of Aotearoa New Zealand histories.
The school expects to see:
an increase in learners’ knowledge of both local and national histories, as well as the development of inquiry skills
further development of productive partnerships with parents, whānau and the community to contribute to children’s learning and improved achievement in foundational literacy and numeracy skills.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the impact of its localised curriculum on developing learners’ key competencies and foundational skills:
Commitment to strengthen learners’ connections to local tāhuhu kōrero and whenua / history and place.
Enthusiasm to build on learners’ curiosity in and engagement with learning through an Aotearoa New Zealand histories lens.
High levels of confidence and support from the school community.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
developing success indicators that highlight growth in learner confidence, competencies and foundational skills, which enable the school to evaluate the impact of their localised curriculum
developing teacher capability and collective capacity in embedding an integrated approach to building learners’ competencies and foundational skills through Aotearoa New Zealand histories contexts.
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
13 March 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 3 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).