Westlake Boys High School

What Westlake Boys High School does

Westlake Boys High School is a state-funded boys' secondary school located in Takapuna on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. Founded in 1958, it educates approximately 2,800 male students across Years 9 to 13 (ages 13-18), making it one of the larger secondary schools in the country. The school operates under a Board of Trustees governance structure led by Chair Paul Mahan, with Headmaster Paul Fordham as executive leader, and is primarily funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Education. Supplementary revenue streams include international student fees, co-curricular music tuition delivered by 14 specialist tutors, uniform shop sales (with PTA second-hand uniform sales on a 35% commission basis), and Peter Rea Auditorium hire (1,500-seat capacity). Direct-to-consumer enrolment follows an in-zone priority model with a ballot system for out-of-zone applicants.

The school's academic product centres on the New Zealand Curriculum and NCEA qualifications at Levels 2 and 3, complemented by a bespoke Year 11 programme called the Elevate Programme (launched in 2024) that replaces traditional NCEA Level 1 assessments with Westlake-designed curriculum combining English, Mathematics, Physical Activity, Sociology, and three elective subjects alongside co-curricular participation requirements. Technology infrastructure is built on the Microsoft 365 ecosystem (Teams, OneNote, Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint), with each student receiving 1TB of OneDrive storage and free Office installation. Supporting platforms include SchoolBridge for parent-school attendance communication, Kindo for fee payments (with credit card, Poli, EFTPOS, Alipay, Google Pay, and bank transfer support), Career Central for career exploration, Wheelers ePlatform for digital library access, Softlink for the physical library catalogue, and Microsoft Sway for the school's weekly newsletter "The Green Striped Blazer."

Westlake's value proposition emphasises research-backed benefits of boys-only education, academic excellence (consistently the top-performing boys school in NZ for NZQA Scholarship attainment with 313-315 scholarships and 40-42 Outstanding Scholar recognitions in 2024-2025), and a broad co-curricular programme spanning sport, music (with premier ensembles combined with sister school Westlake Girls High School), drama (with 25 regional and national awards including Auckland Live Showdown Outstanding Production in 2019, 2023, and 2024), debating, and cultural activities. Strategic moats rest on sustained brand reputation, a committed teaching talent base supported by the in-house Centre for Excellence and formal teacher-training pipelines through the University of Waikato, The Teachers' Institute, and the Auckland Schools' Teacher Training Programme, and ecosystem partnerships including sister-school ties with Westlake Girls High School and membership in the International Boys' School Coalition.

Name

Westlake Boys High School

Legal name

Westlake Boys High School

Website

https://westlake.school.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Westlake Boys High School is a state-funded boys' secondary school on Auckland's North Shore educating approximately 2,800 students (Years 9-13). It delivers NCEA qualifications, the bespoke Elevate Programme, and consistently leads NZ in NZQA Scholarship attainment, supported by extensive co-curricular offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD)

Keywords

• Secondary education
• Boys school education
• NCEA qualifications
• NZQA scholarship programme
• Co-curricular programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Public secondary school funded by Ministry of Education, New Zealand Government
2. International Student Fees: Tuition fees for international students studying at the school
3. Co-curricular Music Tuition: 14 specialist tutors offer school-based instrumental and vocal lessons during school time
4. Uniform Shop Sales: New uniform sales through school uniform shop; second-hand uniform sales through PTA (35% commission)
5. Facility Hire: Peter Rea Auditorium available for hire with capacity of 1500 theatre style seating, includes technical management services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Westlake Boys High School delivers state-funded boys' secondary education for approximately 2,800 students from Years 9 to 13 at its Takapuna, Auckland campus. Core academic offerings follow the New Zealand Curriculum and NCEA framework, supplemented by the bespoke Year 11 Elevate Programme and an NZQA Scholarship extension pathway. Extensive co-curricular provision includes sport, instrumental and vocal music with 14 specialist tutors, drama and theatre productions, and an international student programme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Green Striped Blazer: The school's newsletter publication distributed to parents and the community.
• Elevate Programme
• Academy of Sport
• Te Whānau Rūmaki o Te Puna
• SchoolBridge App
• Virtute

Quantifiable outcome

• 315 NZQA Scholarships in 2025, 313 in 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aims GlobalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImmigration assistance partner for overseas teachers transitioning to New Zealand. Licensed immigration advisers with over 40 years combined experience assist overseas teachers and their families with visas, work permits, and residency applications.
• University of WaikatocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides online teacher training course for Auckland Schools' Teacher Training Programme (ASTTP). Trainees work towards Postgraduate or Graduate Certificate of Teaching while training on-the-job at Westlake.
• The Teachers' Institute (TTI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnsite teacher training programme providing face-to-face learning weekly at Auckland location in Parnell. Trainees work towards Postgraduate or Graduate Certificate of Teaching.
• Auckland Schools' Teacher Training Programme (ASTTP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool-based teacher training programme partnered with Westlake. Gives trainees advantage of training on-the-job alongside outstanding teachers and mentors.
• Westlake Girls High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister school for combined productions (musicals, concerts). Premier ensembles combined enabling students to experience playing and singing with top musicians from both schools. Joint prizegiving events (Year 13 School Ball).
• Warehouse Stationery (Link Drive)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecommended stationery supplier with rebate agreement. Provides full range of stationery and lists for all year levels.
• CycloneminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDevice purchasing portal partner for school. Device configurations and recommendations available through Cyclone.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft 365 core suite including Teams, OneNote, Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Students receive 1TB OneDrive storage and free Office installation.
• International Boys' School CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network for boys' schools. Westlake participates in Action Research programme following IBSC framework. Staff complete research projects on boys' education topics.
• Pupuke Kāhui Ako (Community of Learning)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWithin School Leader role as part of the Pupuke Kāhui Ako, Community of Learning. Collaborative network of schools for professional development and learning.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Auckland Grammar School: Premier state boys' secondary school in central Auckland with similar NZQA Scholarship track record, comparable academic results, and direct competition for top male students in the Auckland market.
• Sacred Heart College (Auckland): Catholic boys' secondary school in Auckland with similar Year 9-13 structure, strong co-curricular and sporting programmes, and overlapping North Shore/Auckland catchment for high-achieving boys.
• Macleans College: Large co-ed state secondary school in East Auckland with a similar high-decile, high-achieving student profile; competes directly with Westlake for top scholarship candidates and university-bound students in the Auckland market.
• Rangitoto College: Largest co-ed secondary school in New Zealand located on Auckland's North Shore; directly competes with Westlake for in-zone North Shore families and out-of-zone academic applicants.
• Westlake Girls High School: Sister school sharing joint productions, combined music ensembles, and Year 13 School Ball; operates on adjacent North Shore catchment with similar academic and co-curricular profile.
• Avondale College: Large co-ed Auckland state secondary school referenced in Westlake's management team biographies; comparable scale and curriculum breadth serving a similar Auckland demographic.
• Mt Albert Grammar School: One of New Zealand's largest co-ed state secondary schools with strong academic, cultural and sporting programmes; competes with Westlake for Auckland scholarship candidates and high-performing students.

Broad incumbents

• King's College (Auckland): Leading private boys' school in Auckland offering boarding and full NCEA pathway; competes for the same high-achieving male student demographic at the premium end of the market.
• Christ's College (Canterbury): Independent boys' boarding school in Christchurch with a national reputation for academic excellence and character education; comparable boys-only pedagogy model and IBSC member.

Others

• International Boys' School Coalition: Global network for boys' schools of which Westlake is a member; provides action research framework, peer benchmarking, and thought leadership on boys' education pedagogy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/westlakeboys
• Xx.com/westlakeboys
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/westlake-boys-high-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Westlake Boys High School