About 

A view of the library.

The School and Town

Carterton School is a state co-educational full primary school catering for children from New Entrants to Year 8 (5 to 13 year olds). The school is a Grade U5 and is rated decile 4. The site of the school is near the centre of the town adjacent to Carrington Park. The roll of the school fluctuates and in the middle of the year is usually about 320-330 children. Carterton is a 'country town' of about four thousand people, situated in the Wairarapa Valley 12km south of Masterton and 95km from Wellington. Many people commute daily to Wellington to work. The cost of housing has risen markedly in recent years as Carterton has become a town of choice for many people. The town has a supermarket, excellent medical services and a central accessible railway station. These features, coupled with the pleasant easy going lifestyle, are attracting increasing numbers of Wellingtonians and other to settle in the town. 'The Daffodil Capital' has a bright future when all these factors are considered.

In 1999 the school had a major building renovation project and this has provided the school with a new and modern teaching environment. The building project consisted of eight renovated classrooms, four new withdrawal rooms, a new library, new computer suite, new resource room, new toilet facilities and renovated staffroom. The school now has an outstanding setting, which includes a hall, swimming pool, and generous grounds. A joint scheme between the school and the Carterton District Council allowed for a new entranceway to the school - new roadway, new car-park, cycle lane and planned landscaping.

The school teaching staff are a dedicated team who make a positive contribution to all aspects of school life. The school operates in four teams with 13 classes. The teaching staff are assisted by quality support staff. The school employs an Administration Manager to ensure maximum outputs are achieved in school operations.

The Board of Trustees govern the school with outstanding commitment. The achievements of the Board and the PTA have been major factors in school development in recent years. Parent support for the school is always at a high level and is enhanced by the Open Door policy and effective home/school communications. Innovative schemes are common place at Carterton School with some major schemes as follows - (a) Pre-school Programme for four year olds. (b) Adult Night Classes. (c) After School Learning Academies. (d) Special leaning opportunities in Music Tuition, Japanese, Spanish, and Enrichment Classes. (e) PreP (Primary Enterprise Programme).

Carterton School has an excellent reputation in the community. This has been created through quality governance by the Board of Trustees, a highly committed staff, high standards of learning in the basics, provision of a wide range of extra learning opportunities, a commitment to innovation and technology, and a true community school philosophy.