Best schools in West Coast (2026)
The top five of 35 schools in each category, with links to the full top 100. Rankings use the Success Index (NZ), built only from official New Zealand data.
West Coast has 35 schools educating 4,387 students in 2026: 29 state, 5 state integrated, 1 private.
The median Equity Index (EQI) across West Coast is 477. Ministry of Education measure of socio-economic barriers faced by students; lower means fewer barriers.
Browse every school in West Coast →
Best primary schools in West Coast
Contributing, full primary, intermediate and composite schools offering Years 1–8.
St Patrick's School (Greymouth)
Greymouth · State integrated full primary · Years 1–8
220 students
St Canice's School (Westport)
Westport · State integrated full primary · Years 1–8
142 students
Kaniere School
Kaniere · State contributing · Years 1–6
117 students
Karoro School
Greymouth · State full primary · Years 1–8
168 students
Paroa School (Greymouth)
Paroa · State full primary · Years 1–8
177 students
Best secondary schools in West Coast
Secondary and composite schools offering Years 9–13.
Karamea Area School
Karamea · State composite · Years 1–13
95 students
John Paul II High School
Greymouth · State integrated secondary (year 9-15) · Years 9–13
184 students
Westland High School
Hokitika · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
392 students
South Westland Area School
Harihari · State composite · Years 1–13
117 students
Buller High School
Westport · State secondary (year 9-15) · Years 9–13
348 students
Best state schools in West Coast
Government schools across all year levels.
Kaniere School
Kaniere · State contributing · Years 1–6
117 students
Karoro School
Greymouth · State full primary · Years 1–8
168 students
Paroa School (Greymouth)
Paroa · State full primary · Years 1–8
177 students
Karamea Area School
Karamea · State composite · Years 1–13
95 students
Westland High School
Hokitika · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
392 students
Best state integrated schools in West Coast
State integrated (mostly church-affiliated) schools.
St Patrick's School (Greymouth)
Greymouth · State integrated full primary · Years 1–8
220 students
St Canice's School (Westport)
Westport · State integrated full primary · Years 1–8
142 students
St Mary's School (Hokitika)
Hokitika · State integrated full primary · Years 1–8
140 students
John Paul II High School
Greymouth · State integrated secondary (year 9-15) · Years 9–13
184 students
Best secondary schools by ncea level 2 attainment in West Coast
Secondary schools ranked by the percentage of school leavers who left with at least NCEA Level 2 (Ministry of Education), for schools with 30 or more leavers.
John Paul II High School
Greymouth · State integrated secondary (year 9-15) · Years 9–13
184 students
South Westland Area School
Harihari · State composite · Years 1–13
117 students
Westland High School
Hokitika · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
392 students
Buller High School
Westport · State secondary (year 9-15) · Years 9–13
348 students
Greymouth High School
Greymouth · State secondary (year 9-15) · Years 9–13
515 students
Best secondary schools by university entrance in West Coast
Secondary schools ranked by the percentage of school leavers who attained the University Entrance award (Ministry of Education).
Westland High School
Hokitika · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
392 students
South Westland Area School
Harihari · State composite · Years 1–13
117 students
Buller High School
Westport · State secondary (year 9-15) · Years 9–13
348 students
John Paul II High School
Greymouth · State integrated secondary (year 9-15) · Years 9–13
184 students
Greymouth High School
Greymouth · State secondary (year 9-15) · Years 9–13
515 students
Best largest schools in West Coast
Schools with the largest rolls.
Greymouth High School
Greymouth · State secondary (year 9-15) · Years 9–13
515 students
Westland High School
Hokitika · State secondary (year 7-15) · Years 7–13
392 students
Buller High School
Westport · State secondary (year 9-15) · Years 9–13
348 students
Westport South School
Westport · State full primary · Years 1–8
242 students
St Patrick's School (Greymouth)
Greymouth · State integrated full primary · Years 1–8
220 students
Free academic assessment
Is your child on track for NCEA?
Success Tutoring runs personalised English and Maths tutoring for Years 1–13 in New Zealand. Start with a free assessment mapped to the New Zealand Curriculum.
- Personalised learning plan mapped to the Australian Curriculum
- English & Maths from Kindergarten to Year 12
- Flexible memberships, no lock-in contracts
- Centres across NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA and ACT
Frequently asked questions
What is the best primary school in West Coast?
St Patrick's School (Greymouth) in Greymouth ranks first among primary schools in West Coast with a Success Index (NZ) of 61.3 out of 100 (Equity Index (EQI): 442).
How are primary schools in West Coast ranked?
Each school's Success Index (NZ) combines 5 factors: equity index (fewer barriers is higher) (45%), roll size (10%), roll growth (5 years) (15%), school leavers with ncea level 2+ (20%), school leavers with university entrance (10%). Each factor is a percentile against schools of the same type across New Zealand. Schools with fewer than 60 students are excluded from rankings.
Are these 2026 rankings official?
No. They are computed by Success Tutoring from official New Zealand data (Ministry of Education – Schools Directory; Ministry of Education – School leaver attainment (Find a school)). The Equity Index describes the student community, not teaching quality.