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Dalefield School, Carterton

Full Primary · Years 1–8 · Co-Educational · Carterton

A state full primary school situated in a semi-rural settlement 6.5 km from Carterton in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand, it serves students from Years 1 to 8. Its current roll stands at 85 students.

Last checked 15 October 2026 · Roll data from September 2026

At a glance

TypeFull Primary · Years 1–8
LocationCarterton
RegionWellington Region
School number2831
76
Students
as at September 2026
463
Equity Index
Yes
Enrolment scheme
Open
School status

Key facts

  • School number2831
  • School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
  • AuthorityState
  • GenderCo-Educational
  • BoardingNo
  • Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
  • Established1 April 1885
See NZ school term dates & holidays →

About Dalefield School

Dalefield School is a state full primary school located in the rural settlement of Dalefield, 6.5 kilometres from the centre of Carterton in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand. It sits at the foothills of the Tararua Range and has a current roll of 85 students.

The school draws students from the Dalefield, Matarawa, and Carterton districts, as well as from Greytown and Masterton. It operates four year-grouped learning spaces, named after local Wairarapa landmarks: Whetū (New Entrant–Year 1), Waihakeke (Years 2–3), Mangatarere (Years 4–5), and Matarawa (Years 6–8).

The school is not faith-based or Māori-medium. Its character is shaped by its semi-rural setting and small size. Students are placed into one of four house groups — Kahungunu, Papawai, Waiohine, and Tararua — each named after a local landmark or point of cultural significance.

The school's stated values are resilience, empathy, and curiosity. Ten percent of the school grounds is dedicated to native ecosystems as part of an ongoing planting programme.

School donations

The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".

With an Equity Index of 463, Dalefield School is in the range eligible to opt into the Ministry's donations scheme — receiving additional government funding per student in exchange for not seeking donations (except for overnight camps).

Check directly with the school for current charges, contributions or other costs. Learn more on the donations scheme or fees and charges at school, both on education.govt.nz.

Equity Index

The Ministry publishes this figure as a bare number — KuraData shows it against the directory-wide average, so you can see where Dalefield School actually sits, not just the number on its own.

OFFICIAL DATA
463
Scale: 344–569
Band: Average (2026)
WHAT IT MEANS

The Equity Index estimates the socio-economic barriers students face, on average, and is used to inform government funding and support. It is not a measure of school quality or academic performance.

Higher values indicate a higher level of estimated socio-economic barriers; lower values indicate fewer. Learn how the Equity Index is calculated →

EQI scale (344–569)
Directory avg 445
Dalefield School 463

Student ethnicity

The Ministry publishes this as a raw table — here it's visualised directly against Dalefield School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.

  • European — 65 students (85.5%)
  • Asian — 5 students (6.6%)
  • Pacific — 2 students (2.6%)
  • Māori — 15 students (19.7%)
  • MELAA — 1 students (1.3%)

Percentages may sum to more than 100% because students can identify with more than one ethnic group.

Education pathway

Nearby schools serving the next or previous year levels are shown as potential pathway options. They do not indicate formal enrolment pathways or actual student transfers.

Current stage — Dalefield School
Full Primary · Years 1–8
Potential next stage

Location

View larger map on OpenStreetMap
  • Street address440 Dalefield Road
  • CityCarterton
  • Local authorityCarterton District

Official contact details

Nearby schools

Schools physically closest to Dalefield School, regardless of year level.

Explore schools in Carterton

Browse Carterton schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.

Full Primary schools (2) Composite schools (1) All schools in Carterton →

Enrolment

Dalefield School operates under an enrolment scheme that took effect at the start of Term 3, 22 July 2024. Prospective families can initiate enrolment by submitting an enquiry form on the school's website. Students already enrolled at the time the scheme commenced were not affected by its introduction.

Enrolment zone

The home zone boundary is defined by the following landmarks and roads:

  • The southern boundary follows State Highway 2 west along the Waiohine River to the end of Matarawa Road
  • The western boundary follows the Waiohine River north to Waiohine Gorge Road, then continues north to the end of that road
  • The northern boundary runs east from the top of Waiohine Gorge Road to Dalefield Road, then southeast along Dalefield Road, continuing east to Benges Road, southeast along Benges Road to Mannings Road, and further southeast to the western boundary of the 52 Lincoln Road property
  • The eastern boundary runs south to Lincoln Road, then south along Lincoln Road to its intersection with Dalefield Road — Lincoln Road properties are generally out of zone, except for numbers 174, 168, and 162 Lincoln Road
  • From the Lincoln Road/Dalefield Road intersection, the boundary continues south to State Highway 2 at Waihakeke Road, then south back to where SH2 crosses the Waiohine River

Hodders Road off Dalefield Road, and both Gallon Road and Matarawa Road off the west of SH2, are within the zone. Addresses on both sides of boundary roads are considered in-zone unless otherwise specified.

Out-of-zone applications

Out-of-zone applicants must apply through a balloting system. Each year, the board publishes a deadline by which in-zone applications for the following year must be received, allowing the board to determine how many places are available for out-of-zone students. Out-of-zone applications are then processed in the following priority order:

  • Second priority: siblings of current students
  • Third priority: siblings of former students
  • Fourth priority: children of former students
  • Fifth priority: children of a board employee or board member

First priority does not apply at this school as it does not operate a special programme approved by the Secretary for Education.

Frequently asked

These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Dalefield School's own official Ministry of Education data already shown on this page, so what you read here always matches the figures above.

Dalefield School is classified as a Full Primary school serving Years 1–8.

It's a state school in the Wellington region. New Zealand domestic students are generally entitled to free enrolment and education at state schools.

Yes. It's a co-educational school, enrolling both boys and girls.

76 students, according to the September 2026 roll data.

It reflects the estimated socio-economic barriers Dalefield School's students face, on average. The Ministry uses the Equity Index to help target funding and support. It is not a measure of school quality or academic performance.

Sources & methodology

Every fact on this page traces back to one of the rows below — official Ministry of Education data, or Dalefield School's own published information, reviewed before publication. Nothing here is inferred or estimated beyond what its source actually states.

DataSourceData periodLast checked
School characteristics Ministry of Education — 15 October 2026
Student roll Ministry of Education / Education Counts September 2026 15 October 2026
Equity Index Education Counts — 15 October 2026
Address & coordinates Ministry of Education — 15 October 2026
Contact details NZ Schools Directory Current 15 October 2026
School information (AI-curated, human-reviewed) Dalefield School's official website Current 4 October 2026