Key facts
- School number2456
- School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
- AuthorityState : Integrated
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionSome students taught in a Pacific language
- Established26 January 1915
About St Matthew's School (Marton)
St Matthew's School is a Catholic primary school in Marton, in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. It was established by the Sisters of Mercy, who arrived in Marton in 1915 and initially held classes inside the local church, with a curtain screening the altar during the week. A dedicated school building opened on land near the church in 1916.
The school describes its character as faith-based, with a curriculum that is also place-based, blended with digital learning, and culturally connected. Its Gospel values — Hospitality, Respect, Excellence, Service, and Social Justice — are each linked to a named saint and grounded in passages from the Gospel of Matthew.
Enrolment is open from age three, with preference given to baptised Catholic children. Attendance dues are administered by the Diocese of Palmerston North and set at $51.46 per month for primary-aged children.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
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 St Matthew's School (Marton) 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 St Matthew's School (Marton)'s own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 18 students (32.7%)
- Asian — 6 students (10.9%)
- Pacific — 27 students (49.1%)
- Māori — 9 students (16.4%)
- MELAA — 3 students (5.5%)
Percentages may sum to more than 100% because students can identify with more than one ethnic group.
Location
- Street address25 Ross Street
- CityMarton
- Local authorityRangitikei District
Official contact details
- ContactSandra Connor (Acting)
- Phone+64 6 327 7945
- Emailoffice@stmatthewsmarton.school.nz
- Websitewww.smsm.school.nz/
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to St Matthew's School (Marton), regardless of year level.
-
Huntley School (Marton) Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 1.8 km
-
South Makirikiri School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 5.8 km
-
Turakina School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 14 km
-
Waituna West School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 23 km
-
Upokongaro School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 32.3 km
Explore schools in Marton
Browse Marton schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Enrolment
St Matthew's Catholic School accepts enrolments from the age of three. Preference is given to children who are baptised Catholic.
The following documents are required to complete an enrolment:
- A completed enrolment form signed by a parent or caregiver
- A Preference Certificate signed by a Catholic priest or Mike O'Regan and stamped with a parish stamp
- Original birth certificate or passport
- Original baptism certificate
- For children born outside New Zealand, a passport showing residency status
- Immunisation certificate
Completed forms and original documents are returned to the School Office, where documents are sighted and photocopied as needed. Once a child is accepted, a meeting and pre-school visits with the Principal are arranged to support the transition into school.
Curriculum
St Matthew's School (Marton) is a primary school covering Years 0–8, organised into three classes: Amataga (Years 0–2), Tupu (Years 3–5), and Lumana'i (Years 6–8).
The school publishes curriculum statements across the following named learning areas:
- Religious Education
- English
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Health and Physical Education
- Science
- Learning Languages
- Technology
- The Arts
- Te Reo Māori
- Localised Curriculum
- Aotearoa New Zealand Histories
The school describes its teaching approach as blended and flipped learning, drawing on heutagogic design principles that emphasise learner involvement in determining what and how they learn, flexible curriculum design, collaborative assessment, and personalised teacher feedback. Place-based and faith-based learning are also identified as components of the curriculum.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from St Matthew's School (Marton)'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 St Matthew's School (Marton)'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) | St Matthew's School (Marton)'s official website | Current | 16 October 2026 |