Hillcrest Normal School
Contributing · State
- Year levels
- 1–6
- Total roll
- 626
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 218 Cambridge Road, Hillcrest, Hamilton
- Territorial authority
- Hamilton City
- Phone
- 07-8566129
- enquiries@hillcrestnormal.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.
- School day starts
- 8.55am
8.55am | School begins.
- 8.55am
- School day ends
- 3.00pm
3.00pm | School finishes.
- 3.00pm
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.
- International students
- Accepted, as stated
At Hillcrest Normal School we are proud of the opportunities we provide our international students.
- Accepted, as stated
- Voluntary donation
- $196 per pupil for 2026
The Board requests a donation of $196 per pupil for 2026.
- $196 per pupil for 2026
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 241
- Māori
- 79
- Pacific
- 19
- Asian
- 275
- MELAA
- 55
- Other
- 4
- International
- 1
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 01 | 14 | 5 | 38 | 12 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 98 |
| Year 02 | 12 | 4 | 35 | 7 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 88 |
| Year 03 | 9 | 1 | 33 | 4 | 1 | 40 | 0 | 79 |
| Year 04 | 14 | 7 | 47 | 11 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 98 |
| Year 05 | 14 | 2 | 51 | 17 | 1 | 44 | 0 | 123 |
| Year 06 | 12 | 7 | 38 | 13 | 1 | 49 | 2 | 117 |
| Year 07 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 19 |
| Total | 77 | 28 | 249 | 66 | 4 | 236 | 4 | 622 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 13 | 5 | 35 | 11 | 1 | 32 | 0 | 90 |
| Age 06 | 12 | 3 | 35 | 8 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 88 |
| Age 07 | 10 | 2 | 34 | 4 | 1 | 40 | 0 | 82 |
| Age 08 | 14 | 7 | 49 | 11 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 103 |
| Age 09 | 13 | 2 | 47 | 15 | 1 | 38 | 0 | 111 |
| Age 10 | 13 | 6 | 42 | 15 | 1 | 52 | 2 | 125 |
| Age 11 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 23 |
| Total | 77 | 28 | 249 | 66 | 4 | 236 | 4 | 622 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
13.1%
| Hillcrest Normal School | 13.1% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 53.9% |
| Contributing | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 27.8% |
| Māori | 39.9% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 34.7% |
| European/Pākehā | 10.8% |
| Total | 13.1% |
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
0%
| Hillcrest Normal School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 6.6% |
| Contributing | 3.5% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
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
0%
| Hillcrest Normal School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 2.4% |
| Contributing | 1.5% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 397
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 28 February 1923
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
- 4
- Last reviewed
- 22 April 2024
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (22 April 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 22 April 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 626 — 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.
September 2018
604
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 28 November 2018
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 22 April 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
Hillcrest Normal School is located in Hamilton and provides education for students in years 1 – 6. The school has a close association with the Waikato University Faculty of Education, assisting with the training of future teachers. Since the previous ERO report, there have been several changes to the senior leadership team. The school values are expressed as SHINE: succeed, honour, imagine, nurture, explore.
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, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings.
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
The school is achieving increasingly equitable and excellent outcomes for most learners.
Most students achieve at or above expected curriculum level for reading, writing and maths.
Boys and girls achieve at similar rates in reading and maths; however, there is significant disparity for boys in writing.
Māori students’ achievement rates have improved over time; however, significant disparity remains in writing and maths when compared to their Pākehā peers.
Pacific students achieve at comparable rates to their Pākehā peers in reading and writing. Disparity in maths has decreased over time.
Conditions to support learner success
School leadership works collaboratively and strategically to improve outcomes for learners.
Leadership values and nurtures a culture of professional growth and development.
Professional learning for teachers aligns to the school’s strategic priorities and the needs of learners.
Leadership prioritises and plans for inclusive learning for all students, particularly Māori and students with additional needs.
The school’s curriculum and teaching practices are increasingly responsive to students’ learning needs, interests, and cultural identities.
Teaching practices are relational and affirming, and classrooms have clearly established routines and expectations for learning.
Teachers identify the learning needs of students and increasingly plan and use responsive teaching strategies.
Curriculum initiatives and programmes that draw on tikanga and te ao Māori have been developed and are being implemented.
Leaders and teachers are increasingly using data and evidence to strengthen schoolwide processes and practices for continued improvement in student outcomes.
Leaders undertake regular review of programmes and initiatives to inform their decision making.
Student achievement, wellbeing and attendance data is regularly analysed by teachers and leaders.
Leaders have identified teacher planning and assessment as areas that could be further strengthened for greater schoolwide consistency.
Leadership is planning for the continued development and integration of te ao Māori learning opportunities throughout the curriculum and building teacher confidence and capability in te reo and mātauranga Māori.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to continue to:
decrease disparity of achievement for Māori students in writing and maths, and for boys in writing
build teachers’ cultural capability, responsiveness, and confidence in mātauranga and te reo Māori
strengthen the consistency of teacher planning, particularly the clear alignment of how formative assessment is used to select appropriate teaching strategies in response to students’ learning needs.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows:
Every six months:
use an agreed monitoring process to review and report on how effectively teachers are integrating mātauranga and te reo Māori in the classroom
develop clear expectations and guidance for teachers about the use of formative assessment and provide appropriate training.
Annually:
Report to the board in relation to:
the annual and over time progress and achievement of Māori students and boys, including the levels of disparity for these groups
how effectively teachers are responding to the needs of students, particularly those students whose progress needs accelerating.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
teacher practices that result in continued improvement in parity, particularly for Māori learners and boys
schoolwide consistency in the delivery of an inclusive, culturally responsive curriculum.
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
22 April 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 4 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).