Last updated October 2026
Whanganui High School is a state, co-educational secondary school for Years 9 to 13 at 76 Purnell Street, Whanganui. It opened in 1958 and had 1,473 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
It has no home zone, so any student can apply. Its site describes a broad range of subjects taught by specialist teachers, with faculties covering digital technology, languages, the arts, sciences and vocational studies, and course pathways through NCEA to University Entrance and Scholarship. Sport and performing arts are offered outside class, and the school takes international students, who live with homestay families.
At a glance
- Principal
- Martin McAllen
- Address
- 76 Purnell Street, Whanganui
- Phone
- 06 349 0178
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 1,473 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
46 international students
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 Te Ara Huarau School Profile Report from December 2023. This kind of report sets out what ERO and the school will evaluate together, here how well conditions at the school support attendance and engagement for all students.
ERO pointed to established systems for tracking and monitoring students that help staff spot academic and pastoral needs, and a wide range of opportunities that enrich learning and encourage students to engage. ERO also noted that the school manages Alternative Education for Whanganui.
From here the school plans to use a range of information to look closely at what does and does not improve attendance and engagement, build staff confidence in responding to students in shared, well-understood ways, and work with students, whānau, staff and the wider community to raise expectations about coming to school.
Read the ERO reports for Whanganui High School
Enrolling
The school has no home zone, so any student can apply. Its enrolments page asks families to phone the main office to arrange a time to talk about enrolling.
Schools nearby
In College Estate Whanganui
Whanganui High School is in College Estate Whanganui. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our College Estate Whanganui guide →Questions parents ask
Is Whanganui High School 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?
1,473 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?
482. 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, 81.9% of its school leavers had NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with 77.8% of all New Zealand school leavers.
School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 22 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). Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.
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