Last updated October 2026
Tauhara College is a state, co-educational secondary school for Years 9 to 13 at 101 Invergarry Road, Taupo. It opened in 1976 and had 664 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes all of Iwitahi, Maunganamu, Two Mile Bay, Waitahanui, Wharewaka, Rainbow Point, Richmond Heights, Waipahihi and Hilltop, and parts of Tauhara, Hatepe, Taupō Central, Broadlands and Rotokawa; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
At a glance
- Principal
- Ben Hancock
- Address
- 101 Invergarry Road, Taupo
- Phone
- 07 378 9304
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Maunganamu, Richmond Heights, Hilltop, Iwitahi, Rainbow Point, Wharewaka, Waipahihi, Waitahanui and Two Mile Bay.
Parts of Tauhara, Hatepe, Taupō Central, Broadlands and Rotokawa: 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 664 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
8 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 School Evaluation Report from May 2026. ERO found that the college has strengthened culturally responsive teaching through its Te Tihi o Tauhara class, built active partnerships with mana whenua and added more te reo Māori learning. It is extending its integrated junior curriculum into Year 11 to give students more personal learning pathways.
A large majority of students gain NCEA at each level, though less than a third gain University Entrance, and results are not yet even for boys and Māori students.
In Years 9 and 10, fewer than half of students are at the expected level in writing, and in Year 10 in maths as well. Students told ERO they feel included and value the wide range of activities on offer.
ERO also noted a clear leadership team, well-organised pastoral care, a whānau-based curriculum in the junior school that builds belonging and core literacy and numeracy, and individual support for students in the Te Whare Mahana class.
ERO’s priorities for the college are to close gaps in achievement and engagement for Māori students and boys, strengthen literacy and numeracy teaching, raise the number of NCEA endorsements and University Entrance passes, and lift regular attendance while reducing chronic absence.
Read the ERO reports for Tauhara College
Enrolling
Students who live in the home zone have the right to enrol. Out-of-zone places are offered under the school’s enrolment scheme, by ballot when there are more applicants than places.
Schools nearby
In Tauhara
Tauhara College is in Tauhara. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Tauhara guide →Questions parents ask
Is Tauhara College zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Maunganamu, Richmond Heights, Hilltop, Iwitahi, Rainbow Point, Wharewaka, Waipahihi, Waitahanui and Two Mile Bay and parts of Tauhara, Hatepe, Taupō Central, Broadlands and Rotokawa.
What years does it teach?
Years 9 to 13.
How many students go there?
664 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?
486. 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, 77.4% 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, 22 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).