Waitaki Boys' High School has been congratulated by Education Minister Anne Tolley on its recent Education Review Office (ERO) report.
In a letter to board of trustees chairman Bill Wright, Mrs Tolley said how pleased she was to see the school "doing so well".
She noted pupil achievement was high, with overall achievement in the national certificates of educational achievement (NCEA) considerably higher than that of comparable schools nationally.
She was also interested to see a greater proportion of Maori pupils achieve success in NCEA than Maori pupils at comparable schools.
She was pleased pupils experienced a wide range of activities that respected the traditions of the school, and that staff and pupils took pride in the school's history and traditions.
"It must be very encouraging to you that the good practice and high level of student achievement noted in previous ERO reports has continued - well done to you and your board and the principal, Dr Paul Baker, for the leadership you have all shown, and to the staff for their good work with all the students."
To date this year, just four secondary schools have been placed in the top reporting cycle - three private or integrated schools and Waitaki Boys', Dr Baker said.