At a business brunch next week the school will thank about 25 local businesses involved in a sponsor programme run since 2009.
The initiative has part-funded two teachers of gifted and talented children and one learning support co-ordinator.
It has also helped the school buy 3-D printers, art presses, kayaks, microscopes, musical instruments and uniforms.
Principal Mason Stretch said the grants provided "crucial" services the school could not cover from regular funding.
"It would be money out of the pockets of parents."
The grants funded sports and cultural trips which were otherwise difficult because of the school’s isolation.
Technology teacher Norm Wing said having technology such as a 3-D printer engaged and excited pupils.
"When they first started playing with it, you could hear a pin drop because they were so focused."
Board chairman and Cromwell Business Network "musterer" Greg Wilkinson said the programme was created in 2009 after an Education Review Office report.
"They pointed out that the college wasn’t getting enough support from the community or wasn’t doing enough to get that support from the community for things MoE [the Ministry of Education] won’t fund."
The school promoted the businesses where it was appropriate, but it was mostly about appealing to the business owners’ consciences, Mr Wilkinson said.
"It’s an opportunity for them to build a relationship with the school. It’s the ethos of the village raising a child," he said.
