Wairarapa College
| Wairarapa College | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 83 Pownall Street Masterton 5810 New Zealand |
|
| Coordinates | 40°57′03″S 175°38′47″E / 40.950717°S 175.646494°ECoordinates: 40°57′03″S 175°38′47″E / 40.950717°S 175.646494°E |
| Information | |
| Funding type | State |
| Established | 1938 |
| Ministry of Education Institution no. | 241 |
| Principal | Shelley Power |
| Years offered | 9–13 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Colour(s) | Blue and gold |
| School roll | 1067(February 2017) |
| Socio-economic decile | 6N |
| Website | www |
Wairarapa College is a state coeducational secondary school located in Masterton, New Zealand. The college first opened in 1938, following the merger of Wairarapa High School with the Masterton Technical School. Serving Years 9 to 13, the college has 1067 students as of February 2017, including approximately 175 resident in the school's on-site boarding hostel, College House.
Secondary education started in Masterton in 1884 when the Masterton Central School became the Masterton District High School and started accepting secondary students. However, the district high school was short-lived and the school reverted to primary only at the end of 1885.
The Masterton Technical School opened in 1897, offering technical secondary education. In 1908 it became the Seddon Memorial Technical School and moved to a purpose-built building in Dixon Street. While the second storey was removed after the 1942 Wairarapa earthquakes, the building still stands today.
In 1902, the Masterton District High School was re-established at Masterton Central School in Russell Street. In 1922, the decision was made to separate the secondary component of the District High School. A 30-acre (12 ha) site was purchased in Pownall Street for £2276 (NZ$4552), and in 1923, Wairarapa High School opened on the site. The District High School, now with only primary students, reverted to Masterton Central School, later moving to South Road in 1970 and merging with Harley Street School in 2004 to form today's Masterton Primary School.
Wairarapa College was founded in 1937 following the decision to merge Wairarapa High School and the Masterton Technical School, and the new college opened in 1938 on the High School site with 521 students.
Until 1960, it was the only full secondary school in the Wairarapa region, with district high schools (similar to today's composite and area schools) in the other seven Wairarapa towns. As the post-WWII baby boom picked up, Wairarapa College began to overcrowd, and with the movement away from district high schools to separate full high schools, two new secondary schools, Tararua College in Pahiatua and Kuranui College in Greytown opened in 1960 to replace the district high schools and to relieve pressure on Wairarapa College. However, as the baby boom generation moved through secondary school, Wairarapa College soon became overcrowded again. Originally it was planned to split Wairarapa College into two single-sex schools on the same site, but this was later dropped and in 1968, Makora College opened on the east side of Masterton to relieve the school roll, Between 1968 and 1989, Wairarapa College and Makora College shared a board of governors. In 1989, the Tomorrow's Schools reforms dissolved the joint board and both schools became self-governing through parent-elected boards of trustees.
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