Hamilton Girls' High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · State
- Year levels
- 9–13
- Total roll
- 1,801
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Girls School
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Ward Street, Hamilton
- Territorial authority
- Hamilton City
- Phone
- 07-8391304
- principal@hghs.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.hghs.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Hamilton · schools in Waikato
Can my child go here?
This school has an enrolment scheme, so a place is not open to every address. How enrolment zones work
Loading zone map…
Zone boundaries shown here are approximate. Ministry of Education data warns these boundaries do not have high spatial precision and can place neighbouring addresses on different sides of a line. This is not a confirmation of enrolment eligibility — always confirm directly with the school. Zone geometry also does not reflect enrolment priority rules (siblings, special character categories, ballots) — it shows the mapped boundary only.
Check if your address is in zone →
Source: Ministry of Education, CC BY 3.0 NZ
What would the day look like?
The practical things this school states on its own website — the hours, the uniform, the term dates, and how children get there. These are the school’s own words, not the Ministry’s record and not ERO’s.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- Uniform
- Required
All students are required to wear our school uniform correctly and with pride.
- Required
- Term dates
- Term 1, 2026: January 27th – April 2nd
Term 1 – January 27th – April 2nd
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 2, 2026: April 20th – July 3rd
Term 2 – April 20th – July 3rd
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 3, 2026: July 21st – September 25th
Term 3 – July 21st – September 25th
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 4, 2026: October 12th – December 8th
Term 4 – October 12th – December 8th
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 1, 2026: January 27th – April 2nd
What does the school say about itself?
Quoted, not summarised. Every school describes itself well, so this is here to be read as the school’s own case rather than as a finding — and a school that states nothing simply has no row.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- In their words
- Our vision is to be acknowledged as a leading contemporary, New Zealand school specialising in girls’ education.
- Through a focus on learning, research, and innovation we will be recognised by our own community,
- the national and international community.
- “Empower young women to dare to excel as innovative individuals who are globally connected”
- International students
- Accepted, as stated
Hamilton Girls’ High School is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students published by the Ministry of Education.
- Accepted, as stated
What is on offer beyond the classroom?
The sports, arts, clubs and groups this school names on its own website. Not a complete list of what any school offers, and not a count — a school that names more here has written more down, which is not the same as doing more.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- On offer
- Adventure Racing
- Athletics
- Badminton – Interschools
- Badminton – Shuttletime
- Basketball 3×3
- Basketball 5×5
- Cricket
- Cross Country
- Cycling
- Equestrian
- Football
- Futsal
- Hockey
- Inline Hockey
- Learn to Row
- Netball
- Rock Climbing
- Rowing
- Rugby 15’s
- Rugby 7’s
- Rugby League
- Squash
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Touch
- Volleyball
- Waka Ama
- Waterpolo
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 1,076
- Māori
- 580
- Pacific
- 257
- Asian
- 374
- MELAA
- 110
- Other
- 33
- International
- 19
Roll by year level and age
Shown as context, not ranked, not compared to any average. As at 30 June 2026, from the same annual return as the roll count above.
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 09 | 141 | 54 | 72 | 16 | 11 | 253 | 0 | 390 |
| Year 10 | 116 | 59 | 90 | 18 | 4 | 253 | 0 | 384 |
| Year 11 | 117 | 51 | 62 | 20 | 5 | 240 | 3 | 371 |
| Year 12 | 105 | 41 | 61 | 21 | 2 | 216 | 8 | 337 |
| Year 13+ | 102 | 38 | 62 | 13 | 8 | 178 | 1 | 295 |
| Total | 581 | 243 | 347 | 88 | 30 | 1140 | 12 | 1777 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 13 | 126 | 49 | 61 | 14 | 10 | 216 | 0 | 336 |
| Age 14 | 116 | 55 | 86 | 14 | 5 | 261 | 0 | 382 |
| Age 15 | 117 | 53 | 67 | 25 | 5 | 237 | 0 | 376 |
| Age 16 | 106 | 38 | 53 | 10 | 2 | 220 | 7 | 320 |
| Age 17 | 105 | 36 | 59 | 22 | 8 | 186 | 4 | 309 |
| Age 18 | 11 | 11 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 48 |
| Age 19+ | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 581 | 243 | 347 | 88 | 30 | 1140 | 12 | 1777 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
94.9%
| Hamilton Girls' High School | 94.9% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 84.2% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 88% |
| State: Not integrated | 83.6% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 94.9% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 94.2% |
| Pacific | 95.5% |
| Asian | 95.3% |
| MELAA | 86.7% |
| Other | 100% |
| European/Pākehā | 95.9% |
| Total | 94.9% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 1 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with NCEA level 2 or above — 2025
89.5%
| Hamilton Girls' High School | 89.5% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 75.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 81% |
| State: Not integrated | 75.4% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 89.5% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 88.3% |
| Pacific | 86.4% |
| Asian | 93.8% |
| MELAA | 80% |
| Other | 77.8% |
| European/Pākehā | 90.5% |
| Total | 89.5% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 2 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with NCEA level 3 or above — 2025
67%
| Hamilton Girls' High School | 67% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 51.3% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 61.8% |
| State: Not integrated | 55.2% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 67% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 69.2% |
| Pacific | 61.4% |
| Asian | 78.1% |
| MELAA | 53.3% |
| Other | 55.6% |
| European/Pākehā | 67.1% |
| Total | 67% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
30.1%
| Hamilton Girls' High School | 30.1% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 15.1% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 15.2% |
| State: Not integrated | 14.4% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 30.1% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 37.5% |
| Pacific | 36.4% |
| Asian | 18.8% |
| MELAA | 13.3% |
| Other | 55.6% |
| European/Pākehā | 33.8% |
| Total | 30.1% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison Vocational Pathway data (2023-2025)
Retention
Percentage staying until at least 17th birthday — 2025
90.6%
| Hamilton Girls' High School | 90.6% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 77.4% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 83.5% |
| State: Not integrated | 81.4% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 90.6% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 91.7% |
| Pacific | 93.2% |
| Asian | 96.9% |
| MELAA | 86.7% |
| Other | 100% |
| European/Pākehā | 89.6% |
| Total | 90.6% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison trend data (2023-2025)
— 2024
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 1: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education one year after leaving school (2022-2024 leaver cohorts)
— 2023
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education two years after leaving school (2021-2023 leaver cohorts)
— 2024
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 1: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education one year after leaving school (2022-2024 leaver cohorts)
— 2023
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education two years after leaving school (2021-2023 leaver cohorts)
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
10%
| Hamilton Girls' High School | 10% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 53.9% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 35.8% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 10% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Māori | 10.6% |
| Pacific | 13.4% |
| Asian | 9.9% |
| Other | 24.1% |
| European/Pākehā | 10.6% |
| Total | 10% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison stand-down rates data (2024)
Age-standardised suspension rate per 1,000 students — 2024
3.2%
| Hamilton Girls' High School | 3.2% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 6.6% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 4% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 3.2% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Māori | 7.7% |
| Pacific | 4.4% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 4.8% |
| European/Pākehā | 3% |
| Total | 3.2% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison suspension rates data (2024)
Age-standardised exclusion rate per 1,000 students — 2024
1.8%
| Hamilton Girls' High School | 1.8% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 2.4% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 1.8% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Māori | 5.4% |
| Pacific | 2.7% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 6.7% |
| European/Pākehā | 2.1% |
| Total | 1.8% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 463
- Boarding
- Yes
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 9 June 1911
The Equity Index is used by the Ministry to allocate equity funding. It describes the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, not how good the school is. How the Equity Index works
What did ERO find?
The Education Review Office reviews every school and publishes what it finds in full. We quote ERO’s report here, section by section, in ERO’s own words and order, and link to it. We do not summarise a report, pick a line out of one, or turn one into a score. How ERO reviews schools
- Reports ERO holds
- 5
- Last reviewed
- 10 July 2024
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (10 July 2024)
A board assurance statement is the board’s own account of whether it took all reasonable steps to meet its legal obligations, on the date shown. It is not ERO’s finding. ERO reports separately, in the same report, on any non-compliance it identified during that process.
The board assurance report of 10 July 2024 carries no actions-for-compliance section — the section ERO uses when it names non-compliance it identified. That is what this report contains; it is not ERO saying it found none. Other reports ERO holds for this school may say something different.
The roll ERO recorded, and when
ERO writes a roll into each report it publishes: a count taken for that report, on the day shown, by the review team that was there. The Ministry of Education’s current roll for this school is 1801 — the figure at the top of this page, and the one to use for how big the school is now. These are a different measurement by a different body, so they will rarely agree, and a difference between them is not a change in the school.
October 2019
1587
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 29 June 2020
This is one count taken for one report. It says what the roll was on that day, and nothing about how the roll has moved.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 10 July 2024 — “School Evaluation Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
School Evaluation Report
Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.
We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.
Context
Hamilton Girls’ High School is a state single sex school located in central Hamilton. The school offers education for student in Years 9 to 13, including international students and boarding accommodation. The school promotes the vision of empowering young women to dare to excel as innovative individuals who are globally connected, which underpins the school motto he tangata mārama māna e raranga tōna ara , a wise woman shapes her own destiny.
There are two parts to this report.
Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction.
Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
Part A: Current State
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
Learner Success and Wellbeing
Most students are engaged, make good progress and achieve well.
The majority of students in Year 9 and 10 exceed the expected progression in mathematics and reading comprehension.
Almost all students achieve National Certification of Educational Achievement (NCEA) literacy and numeracy; most students achieve NCEA Level 2, and the majority of students achieve Level 1 and 3, and University Entrance
Māori and Pacific students’ rates of progress and achievement has continued to improve and positive shifts in reducing disparity are evident.
Attendance targets and strategies are part the school’s strategic plan, 75% of students attend above 80% of the time.
Conditions to support learner success
Strategic leadership is embedding evidence-based review systems and processes to support continuous improvement for all learners.
Leaders model strong relational practice through ongoing refining of systems and processes to best meet the needs of students and staff, and work towards strategic priorities.
Well-established culture of sharing best practice, seeking a wide range of perspectives and using reliable data to inform decision making and next steps for improving learning programmes.
Students who have additional needs are well supported and their ongoing progress and achievement is monitored through the responsive collaboration of pastoral care and curriculum teams.
Teachers demonstrate high-quality and responsive teaching practice.
Teachers participate in ongoing professional development to improve responsive practice; they increasingly use deliberate approaches to enhance teaching and learning programmes.
Students engage and participate in meaningful learning opportunities and confidently articulate the purpose and expectations of teaching and learning programmes.
As a purposeful response to improving outcomes for Māori students, te ao, tikanga , and mātauranga Māori are increasingly woven through all aspects of the teaching and learning programmes.
Well aligned systems, structures and practices support continuous school improvement.
Learning support leaders actively monitor the impact of interventions on improving outcomes for learning and purposefully respond to the emerging needs for students and teachers.
Student wellbeing is deliberately incorporated into curriculum design and planning and increasingly inclusive of learners’ cultures, languages and identities.
Board members clearly know their stewardship role and responsibility; they scrutinise achievement data to ensure resourcing and decision making is responding to student needs.
Students have strong foundational curriculum knowledge as a result of a well-considered Years 9 to 13 curriculum, that sequentially builds on key content and skills in each learning area.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
refine mentoring programmes for Māori and Pacific students to continue reducing disparity in attendance and outcomes
strengthen partnerships with mana whenua to support further development of the localised curriculum and school identity
continue to refine evidence-based review systems and processes to highlight shifts in relational practice and improving outcomes.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
reflect on the established Māori and Pacific mentoring strategy; identify and implement areas for refinement and improvement
continue working with mana whenua to prioritise the next steps for the school’s localised curriculum
review the success of deliberate interventions and selected teaching strategies for targeted groups of learners to inform next steps.
Annually:
evaluate the impact of mentoring strategies on improving Māori and Pacific students’ engagement and achievement
continue to respond and refine localised curriculum in conjunction with mana whenua
report to the board on the effectiveness that interventions and strategies have had on reducing disparity, to identify and inform resource decision making for further improvement.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
Māori and Pacific students achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for learning
mana whenua is informing the development of a strong localised and responsive curriculum
highly effective evidence-based review continues to reduce disparity for groups of learners.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
10 July 2024
About the School
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →
All 5 reports ERO holds for this school
ERO reviews a school every few years — around four years between reviews is the usual cycle — so an older date here reflects where a school sits in that cycle, not how it is doing.
Source: Education Review Office, CC BY 4.0.
Roll date: 30 June 2026 (2026).