Key facts
- School number2958
- School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established26 January 1887
About Pirinoa School
Pirinoa School is a small, rural contributing primary school located in the South Wairarapa, situated approximately 20 minutes south of Martinborough and 10 minutes north of Lake Ferry. It describes itself as the southernmost school in the North Island.
The school has 52 students and operates across 3 classrooms. Its grounds include an orchard, vegetable gardens, and outdoor areas used for climbing and sport.
The school's stated vision, expressed through the whakataukī He waka eke noa, is to develop young people who are self-managing, respectful, communicative, and confident learners. Its teaching approach is described as learner-centred, with an emphasis on posing problems to stimulate thinking, recognising different learning styles, and placing knowledge in meaningful contexts.
Regular off-site activities form part of the school's programme, including visits to the local coastline, bush walks, and trips to Wellington.
Enrolment
No enrolment scheme listedNo enrolment scheme is currently listed for Pirinoa School in the available Ministry of Education data. Check the current Ministry of Education information or contact the school for the latest enrolment arrangements.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
With an Equity Index of 493, Pirinoa 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 Pirinoa School actually sits, not just the number on its own.
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 →
Student ethnicity
The Ministry publishes this as a raw table — here it's visualised directly against Pirinoa School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 25 students (75.8%)
- Māori — 13 students (39.4%)
Percentages may sum to more than 100% because students can identify with more than one ethnic group.
Location
- Street address2782 Lake Ferry Road
- CityPirinoa
- Local authoritySouth Wairarapa District
Official contact details
- ContactToby Funnell
- Phone+64 6 307 7829
- Emailoffice@pirinoa.school.nz
- Websitewww.pirinoa.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Pirinoa School, regardless of year level.
-
Kahutara School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 18 km
-
Wainuiomata Primary School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 22.5 km
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St Claudine Thevenet School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 24.6 km
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Wainuiomata High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 25.1 km
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Martinborough School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 25.5 km
Explore schools in Pirinoa
Browse Pirinoa schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Curriculum
Pirinoa School is a small rural full primary school with three classrooms. The school describes its curriculum as broad and balanced, with a stated priority of lifting student engagement and achievement by having students apply knowledge in real-world contexts.
A notable feature of the curriculum is the use of Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC), which includes visits to local farms for hands-on science lessons and environmental monitoring, such as water testing of local waterways. The school also runs yearly Pet Day competitions and alternates between Production and Art Show events.
The school acknowledges te ao Māori within its curriculum approach, referencing the concepts of ako, whānaungatanga, and manaakitanga as part of how it engages with Māori learners and their whānau.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Pirinoa School's own official Ministry of Education data already shown on this page, so what you read here always matches the figures above.
Sources & methodology
Every fact on this page traces back to one of the rows below — official Ministry of Education data, or Pirinoa School's own published information, reviewed before publication. Nothing here is inferred or estimated beyond what its source actually states.
| Data | Source | Data period | Last 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) | Pirinoa School's official website | Current | 1 October 2026 |