Last updated October 2026
Tolaga Bay Area School is a state, co-educational composite school for Years 1 to 13 at 24 Resolution Street, Tolaga Bay. It opened in 1888 and had 243 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes all of Anaura Bay and Tolaga Bay, and parts of Tokomaru Bay, Whāngārā and Waimatā Valley; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
At a glance
- Principal
- Nori Parata
- Address
- 24 Resolution Street, Tolaga Bay
- Phone
- 06 862 6765
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Tolaga Bay and Anaura Bay.
Parts of Tokomaru Bay Gisborne, Whāngārā and Waimatā Valley: check your street.
Zone boundaries are set by the school’s enrolment scheme and can change. Confirm your address with the school before you rely on it.
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 243 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.
Suspensions: fewer than 5 cases in 2025, so no rate is shown.
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 2025. ERO notes the school runs both English and te reo Māori streams, and that local Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti and Ngāti Porou knowledge runs through school life.
Students show a strong sense of wellbeing and belonging, and a large majority gain NCEA Levels 2 and 3, with merit and excellence endorsements rising.
In the rumaki, Kahukuranui, ākonga speak te reo o Ngāti Porou with confidence, a large majority are at or above expected levels in pānui and tuhituhi, and most attend regularly, but less than a third are on track in pāngarau.
Across the school, less than half of learners in Years 1 to 10 are at or above expected levels in reading, writing and maths, less than half gained NCEA Level 1 in the year ERO looked at, and regular attendance is below Ministry of Education targets.
ERO’s agreed next steps are to lift pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau results in the rumaki by linking progressions to its Māhere Ako, build consistent assessment and moderation across Years 1 to 10, grow staff skill in analysing data so teachers can see the effect of their teaching, and keep refining the school’s attendance strategies.
Read the ERO reports for Tolaga Bay Area School
Enrolling
Students who live in the home zone have the right to enrol. The school may also offer out-of-zone places each year under its enrolment scheme, with a ballot if there are more applicants than places.
Schools nearby
In Tolaga Bay
Tolaga Bay Area School is in Tolaga Bay. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Tolaga Bay guide →Questions parents ask
Is Tolaga Bay Area School zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Tolaga Bay and Anaura Bay and parts of Tokomaru Bay Gisborne, Whāngārā and Waimatā Valley.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 13.
How many students go there?
243 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?
526. 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, 83.3% 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, 29 Oct 2026 (CC BY 4.0). Home zone: Ministry of Education enrolment zones (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).