Aquinas College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · State : Integrated
- Year levels
- 7–13
- Total roll
- 840
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 183 Pyes Pa Road, Pyes Pa, Tauranga
- Territorial authority
- Tauranga City
- Phone
- 07-5432400
- admin@aquinas.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.aquinas.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Tauranga · schools in Bay of Plenty
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.
- Uniform
- Required
Students are expected to wear the uniform correctly when at school, travelling to and from school, and representing Aquinas at events.
- Required
- Getting there
- Ministry-funded bus routes to Aquinas College, including Oropi, Pyes Pa Route 40510 (Tranzit Bus)
Ministry-funded buses are only for students living these bus routes: - [Oropi, Pyes Pa Route 40510 (Tranzit Bus)](https://www.aquinas.school.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/40510-Aquinas-Oropi.pdf)
- Ministry-funded bus routes to Aquinas College, including Oropi, Pyes Pa Route 40510 (Tranzit Bus)
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
- Our Touchstones of Family, Scholarship, Truth, Service, Prayer and Joy are our founding principles. The Touchstones permeate every facet of our college life. They are visible in our relationships, our curriculum, and our fundamental belief in service. They highlight our focus on restorative practice, cultural responsiveness and social justice.
- Special character
- Catholic character is at the core of all that we do at Aquinas College. We are committed to a holistic education that encourages students to develop, share and practice their faith.
- International students
- Accepted, as stated
Each year, we accept only 30 International Students into our well-established international programme.
- Accepted, as stated
- Voluntary donation
- $1,200 for one student, $2,400 for two, maximum $3,000 per family, 2026
2026 Contribution Rates | Students per Family | Total Contribution to Pay | | 1 Student | $1,200 | | 2 Students | $2,400 | | 3 Students | $3,000 | | 4 or more Students | No additional cost | Maximum Contribution Per Family: $3,000
- $1,200 for one student, $2,400 for two, maximum $3,000 per family, 2026
What is on offer beyond the classroom?
The sports, arts, clubs and groups this school names on its own website. Not a complete list of what any school offers, and not a count — a school that names more here has written more down, which is not the same as doing more.
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.
- On offer
- Itinerant Music Lessons
Itinerant Music Lessons In-school instrument tuition and voice instruction are available from specialist tutors.
- Voci Celesti
Voci Celesti Is an auditioned mixed choir of students.
- AC Concert Band
AC Concert Band Consists of up to 18 brass, woodwind, drums and guitar musicians.
- AC Jazz Band
AC Jazz Band It performs at various events for the school, and in local competitions.
- Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival
Students learn from visiting specialists, attend theatre productions, and experience the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival.
- biennial large-scale productions
Aquinas stages biennial large-scale productions, enabling students to practice, hone and exhibit their performance skills in front of a public audience.
- lunchtime Drama Club
The college also has a lunchtime Drama Club which draws students of all ages to our Drama Studio each Wednesday.
- Trinity College Speech & Drama Lessons
Trinity College Speech & Drama Lessons In-school itinerant Trinity College Speech and Drama lessons are available with specialist tutor Dee Ellwood.
- Year 7 golf team
Congratulations to our Year 7 golf team of Noel Kim, Rayeon Lee, Maxwell Murdoch and James Taylor, who claimed the Western BOP Intermediate qualifier by three shots to secure their place in the BOP Intermediate School Finals.
- Cross Country
🏃 Cross Country Congratulations to Year 7 twins Cruz and Summer Champness, who were crowned Age 11 champions at the recent BOP Intermediate Cross Country Championships.
- Itinerant Music Lessons
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 643
- Māori
- 139
- Pacific
- 28
- Asian
- 181
- MELAA
- 31
- Other
- 6
- International
- 26
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 | 23 | 4 | 34 | 5 | 1 | 101 | 5 | 138 |
| Year 08 | 20 | 6 | 30 | 5 | 1 | 101 | 4 | 135 |
| Year 09 | 29 | 6 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 97 | 3 | 120 |
| Year 10 | 18 | 1 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 94 | 2 | 113 |
| Year 11 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 91 | 3 | 111 |
| Year 12 | 18 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 85 | 4 | 102 |
| Year 13+ | 18 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 87 | 3 | 108 |
| Total | 145 | 30 | 141 | 27 | 10 | 656 | 24 | 827 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 11 | 18 | 4 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 66 | 3 | 93 |
| Age 12 | 21 | 5 | 34 | 4 | 1 | 116 | 4 | 152 |
| Age 13 | 31 | 6 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 100 | 2 | 123 |
| Age 14 | 17 | 2 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 95 | 4 | 119 |
| Age 15 | 14 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 77 | 1 | 92 |
| Age 16 | 26 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 95 | 5 | 113 |
| Age 17 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 89 | 2 | 109 |
| Age 18 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 1 | 24 |
| Age 19+ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 145 | 30 | 141 | 27 | 10 | 656 | 24 | 827 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
98.2%
| Aquinas College | 98.2% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 87.3% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 89.6% |
| State: Integrated | 95.8% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 100% |
|---|---|
| Male | 96.6% |
| Māori | 95% |
| Pacific | 83.3% |
| Asian | 93.3% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 97.8% |
| Total | 98.2% |
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
97.3%
| Aquinas College | 97.3% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 78.1% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 83.3% |
| State: Integrated | 92.1% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 98.1% |
|---|---|
| Male | 96.6% |
| Māori | 90% |
| Pacific | 83.3% |
| Asian | 93.3% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 97.8% |
| Total | 97.3% |
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
91.2%
| Aquinas College | 91.2% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 56.5% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 64.5% |
| State: Integrated | 77.7% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 90.7% |
|---|---|
| Male | 91.5% |
| Māori | 85% |
| Pacific | 66.7% |
| Asian | 93.3% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 91.4% |
| Total | 91.2% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
24.8%
| Aquinas College | 24.8% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 18.1% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 14.7% |
| State: Integrated | 13.5% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 29.6% |
|---|---|
| Male | 20.3% |
| Māori | 20% |
| Pacific | 16.7% |
| Asian | 20% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 25.8% |
| Total | 24.8% |
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
96.5%
| Aquinas College | 96.5% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 77.3% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 83.1% |
| State: Integrated | 91.1% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 98.1% |
|---|---|
| Male | 94.9% |
| Māori | 85% |
| Pacific | 83.3% |
| Asian | 93.3% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 97.8% |
| Total | 96.5% |
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
14.2%
| Aquinas College | 14.2% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 37.4% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 43.4% |
| State : Integrated | 16.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 3.1% |
|---|---|
| Male | 27.1% |
| Māori | 9.4% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 10.9% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 17.1% |
| Total | 14.2% |
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
0.8%
| Aquinas College | 0.8% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 3.8% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 4.6% |
| State : Integrated | 1.6% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 1.6% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 5.2% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0.9% |
| Total | 0.8% |
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%
| Aquinas College | 0% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 1.4% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 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)
- 402
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 26 January 2003
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
- 21 March 2024
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (21 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 same report — the board assurance report of 21 March 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 has identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
renewal of a police vet for a non-teaching staff member every three years [ s 104, Education and Training Act 2020].
The board has since addressed the area 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 840 — 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.
October 2018
737
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 23 January 2019
August 2015
753
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 10 September 2015
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 21 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 eight months of the Education Review Office and Aquinas 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
Aquinas College is a state integrated Catholic school located in Tauranga . The school caters for students from years 7 to 13.
Aquinas College ’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
Empowering Every Learner: a commitment to empower every learner to achieve equitable outcomes and personal excellence within the Catholic educational environment
Educationally Powerful Partnerships: a commitment to establishing educationally powerful connections, fostering reciprocal relationships that enhance student learning and outcomes
Tūrangawaewae: a commitment to cultivating a positive college culture, guided by the Catholic ethos and dedicated to upholding the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Aquinas College ’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the school’s curriculum is designed, enacted and reviewed to respond to the strengths and needs of all students to accelerate their progress and raise achievement.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
to ensure the curriculum is designed to meet the needs of the 21 st century learner
to consider local contexts and the cultural responsiveness of the curriculum
to ensure the key competencies are well-considered in curriculum delivery
to raise overall achievement and ensure equitable outcomes for all.
The school expects to see:
culturally sustaining and adaptive teaching, learning and assessment practices
enhance and sustain equitable outcomes, to ensure equitable and excellent outcomes for all students over time
a responsive curriculum that meets the changing needs of students.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how effectively the curriculum is designed, enacted and reviewed to respond to the strengths and needs of all students to accelerate their progress and raise achievement.
a collaboratively developed strategic direction to support the school improvement journey
a culture of high expectations underpinned by the well-developed special character of the school
comprehensive use of data to inform best practice to support equity and excellence
well-established internal evaluation processes.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
fostering inclusive teaching and learning environments grounded in Catholic values
developing culturally responsive and adaptive teaching strategies
embedding Mātauranga Māori throughout the curriculum.
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
21 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 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).