Ballance School

Ballance School is a co-educational full primary school in Pahiatua, within the Manawatū-Whanganui Region, operating in the state sector, with 23 students on roll, and an Equity Index of 504. The school has been open since 1880.

With 23 students on roll, Ballance School is a very small school — larger than about 7% of New Zealand schools. Its rural setting typically means smaller class groups and a close-knit community feel.

The school's Equity Index is 504, which is above the national average of 463. A higher Equity Index signals greater socio-economic need in the school's community — schools in this band receive more targeted government funding and support. The gap of 41 points is substantial enough to matter when comparing schools.

86.4% of students identify as European, so the school has a strongly homogeneous roll. Students of Pasifika descent make up 4.5%.

On the isolation index the school scores 0.54 (moderate isolation) — this measures how far students travel and how accessible the school is, not how good it is.