Last updated October 2026
St Mary’s School is a state-integrated, co-educational full primary school for Years 1 to 8 at 3 Stephenson Street, Blenheim. It opened in 1973 and had 176 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
It has no home zone, so any student can apply. The school’s site describes a special character grounded in Catholic teaching, a sacramental programme prepared with families, Philosophy for Children discussion lessons, and structured approaches to literacy and maths. It also describes a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to te ao Māori perspectives across its curriculum.
At a glance
- Principal
- Bridget Comer
- Address
- 3 Stephenson Street, Blenheim
- Phone
- 03 578 9494
Home zone
No home zone: any student can apply to enrol. If more students apply than there are places, the school decides how places are offered.
Who goes here
Share of the 176 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 Te Ara Huarau School Profile Report from June 2023. This kind of report sets out what ERO and the school will evaluate together. They agreed to look at how well teachers understand and use culturally responsive practice to lift equity and achievement, with a focus on raising the achievement of Māori and Pacific students and building stronger partnerships with whānau.
ERO noted strengths the school can draw on: well-targeted professional learning for teachers, positive relationships with students and good knowledge of their individual needs, and a clear strategic direction led by senior leaders.
The school’s priorities are to develop its inquiry process so teachers can work together to check how effective their teaching is, and to engage more actively with the wider school community to build learning partnerships.
Read the ERO reports for St Mary’s School (Blenheim)
Enrolling
There is no home zone. Families apply using the school’s enrolment application forms, and a preference enrolment needs a preference certificate signed by the parish priest of the Star of the Sea Parish.
Attendance dues apply. They are paid to the Archdiocese of Wellington, with the school handling the paperwork.
Schools nearby
Where students go next
Based on home zones around the school’s own address. Families can apply to any school, and your own address decides which zones you are in.
In Blenheim CBD
St Mary's School (Blenheim) is in Blenheim CBD. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Questions parents ask
Is St Mary's School (Blenheim) zoned?
No. It has no home zone, so any student can apply to enrol.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 8.
How many students go there?
176 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?
440. 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.
Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.
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Sources and data notes 1
- School facts: School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 22 Oct 2026 (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).