The school opened as Manga-atua School house in the 1887, with a roll of the 18 pupils increasing to 22 within the first day.[2] The school changed its name to Papatawa School in 1905, and it eventually gained an extra classroom.[3]
During the Great Depression, workers built a tennis court at the school and turned the school to face the sun. A pool was installed in the 1960s.[2]
In the 1940s, girls would sweep the school on Friday afternoons while boys emptied the buckets in the toilets.[3]
The school held major anniversary celebrations in 1937 and 1987.[4][2]
In 2008, the school floated the idea of a voluntary closure but faced an uproar from the local community.[5]
In 2009, a Ministry of Education review proposed closing eight of the ten schools in the Tararua bush area, including Papatawa School. Papatawa had 18 students at the time. Principal Louise Ilton told the Dominion Post:
- "The kids are really worried; we got the message last year and have no plan to close."[5]
The school marked its 130th anniversary with a celebration dinner in June 2017.[3]
As of 2020, the school has a twice-weekly breakfast club sponsored by Fonterra and Sanitarium, and students are also rostered to cook hot lunches brought from home.[6]
The roll reduced through the COVID-19 pandemic and the school officially closed on 30 August 2023 after the final students moved to schools in Woodville.[7][8]
