Kawerau South School

Kawerau South School is a co-educational contributing school in Kawerau, within the Bay of Plenty Region, operating in the state sector, with 346 students on roll, and an Equity Index of 536. The school has been open since 1858.

With 346 students on roll, Kawerau South School is a large school — larger than about 67% of New Zealand schools.

The school's Equity Index is 536, 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 73 points is substantial enough to matter when comparing schools.

The largest group is European at 69.2%, with a meaningful Pasifika community at 20.5% — a mixed but clearly led roll.

On the isolation index the school scores 0.9 (high isolation) — this measures how far students travel and how accessible the school is, not how good it is.