Last updated October 2026
Tararua College is a state, co-educational secondary school for Years 9 to 13 at Churchill Street, Pahiatua. It opened in 1960 and had 379 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
It has no home zone, so any student can apply. The school’s site lists courses including primary industries, te reo Māori and Māori performing arts, and Te Whare Āwhina, a supported learning and alternative education space for students who need extra help.
Senior students can take UCOL USkills tertiary courses at no cost while at school and online courses through the Virtual Learning Network, and sports range from rugby, hockey and netball to clay target shooting and ki o rahi.
At a glance
- Principal
- Iain Anderson
- Address
- Churchill Street, Pahiatua
- Phone
- 06 376 8344
Home zone
No home zone: any student can apply to enrol. If more students apply than there are places, the school decides how places are offered.
NCEA results
School leavers with NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with all New Zealand school leavers.
This school New Zealand
School leavers are students who left school that year, whatever year level they left from.
Who goes here
Share of the 379 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
MELAA: Middle Eastern, Latin American and African.
Stand-downs and suspensions
Cases per 1,000 students in 2025, adjusted for the ages of the school’s students, compared with all New Zealand schools.
These measure how a school responds to behaviour, and schools set their own thresholds, so they are not a measure of how students behave.
What ERO found
The Education Review Office’s latest report on the school is a School Evaluation Report from February 2026. ERO found that achievement and engagement need to improve.
In 2024 less than half of students gained NCEA Level 1, a small majority gained Level 2 and less than half gained Level 3, results at every level had fallen over the previous three years, and Māori students were behind at Level 2.
Less than half of students attended regularly, although attendance was improving and chronic absence was falling. ERO also noted respectful relationships between students and teachers, a wide choice of online, community and tertiary learning, a pastoral team that keeps close watch on wellbeing, and strong links with training providers, businesses and careers programmes for senior students.
ERO’s priorities are more consistent, high-quality teaching, sound assessment and reporting of literacy and maths in Years 9 and 10, better use of evidence to judge what works, and higher regular attendance. ERO also recommended that the Secretary for Education consider stepping in with specialist help to lift achievement and attendance.
Read the ERO reports for Tararua College
Enrolling
Tararua College has no home zone, so any student can apply. Families enrol through the online enrolment form linked from the school’s enrolment page, which also shows each year’s closing date for applications.
Schools nearby
In Pahiatua near Palmerston North
Tararua College is in Pahiatua near Palmerston North. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Pahiatua near Palmerston North guide →Questions parents ask
Is Tararua College zoned?
No. It has no home zone, so any student can apply to enrol.
What years does it teach?
Years 9 to 13.
How many students go there?
379 at 1 Sep 2026.
Does it ask for donations?
No. It is in the donation scheme, so it only asks for donations for school camps.
What is its Equity Index?
510. The Ministry of Education’s Equity Index estimates the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, from 344 (fewest) to 569 (most). It is used to share out funding, not as a measure of quality.
How did its school leavers do in NCEA?
In 2025, 78.8% of its school leavers had NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with 77.8% of all New Zealand school leavers.
Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Sources and data notes 1
- School facts: School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 24 Oct 2026 (CC BY 4.0). NCEA results, roll history and stand-downs: Education Counts, school leavers 2023 to 2025, stand-downs 2025, rolls 2021 to 2025 (CC BY 4.0).