Karori Normal School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 594
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Donald Street, Karori, Wellington
- Territorial authority
- Wellington City
- Phone
- 04-4767209
- office@kns.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.kns.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Wellington · schools in Wellington Region
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.
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
- Bands
Bands Ukelele Kapa Haka
- Ukelele
Bands Ukelele Kapa Haka
- Kapa Haka
Bands Ukelele Kapa Haka
- Choir
Choir Orchestra
- Orchestra
Choir Orchestra
- Extension kapa haka
Extension kapa haka provides tamariki a platform for expression, giving them the opportunity to experience success, gain confidence through performance, and step up as leaders and role models.
- Cross Country (whole school)
The school runs three annual sports events. Cross Country (whole school), Swimming Sports (years 4-8), and Athletics (in each team).
- Swimming Sports (years 4-8)
The school runs three annual sports events. Cross Country (whole school), Swimming Sports (years 4-8), and Athletics (in each team).
- Athletics (in each team)
The school runs three annual sports events. Cross Country (whole school), Swimming Sports (years 4-8), and Athletics (in each team).
- Bands
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 422
- Māori
- 14
- Pacific
- 15
- Asian
- 161
- MELAA
- 33
- Other
- 13
- International
- 0
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 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 59 |
| Year 02 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 54 | 0 | 68 |
| Year 03 | 4 | 1 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 50 | 0 | 74 |
| Year 04 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 54 | 0 | 81 |
| Year 05 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 52 | 0 | 75 |
| Year 06 | 3 | 3 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 50 | 0 | 78 |
| Year 07 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 73 | 0 | 99 |
| Year 08 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 60 | 0 | 81 |
| Total | 26 | 20 | 168 | 38 | 4 | 432 | 0 | 615 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 54 |
| Age 06 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 51 | 0 | 63 |
| Age 07 | 4 | 2 | 24 | 7 | 1 | 55 | 0 | 81 |
| Age 08 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 52 | 0 | 80 |
| Age 09 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 53 | 0 | 76 |
| Age 10 | 3 | 3 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 51 | 0 | 77 |
| Age 11 | 2 | 3 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 58 | 0 | 83 |
| Age 12 | 6 | 5 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 70 | 0 | 92 |
| Age 13 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| Total | 26 | 20 | 168 | 38 | 4 | 432 | 0 | 615 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Karori Normal School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 24.7% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
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 stand-down rates data (2024)
Age-standardised suspension rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Karori Normal School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 2.6% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| 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%
| Karori Normal School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 0.9% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| 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)
- 354
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 16 November 1858
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
- 5 August 2024
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (5 August 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 5 August 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 594 — 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.
November 2019
760
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 14 February 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 5 August 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
Karori Normal School , located in Karori , Wellington, provides education for students in Years 1 to 8.
Two permanent deputy principals have shared the principal’s role since July 2023. The board is in the process of appointing a permanent principal. There has been a significant increase in the number of English Language Learners enrolled in the school in 2024.
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
Learners make sustained progress and achievement throughout their schooling.
In 2023, almost all learners achieved at or above the expected curriculum level in reading and mathematics, and most learners achieved at this level in writing; a lmost all 2023 Year 8 students left the school achieving at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.
The school has yet to get Māori learners achieving as well as Pākehā learners in reading, writing and mathematics; most Māori learners achieve at or above the expected curriculum level in reading and mathematics, with the majority at the expected level in writing.
Almost all learners of Pacific heritage achieve at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.
Most students attend school regularly; attendance exceeds the 2024 Ministry of Education target.
Conditions to support learner success
Leadership is improvement focused and appropriately pursues a small number of strategically selected improvement goals and targets.
Leaders work together to create a positive environment that is inclusive, values diversity and promotes student wellbeing for learning.
Leadership across the school is supported and deliberately developed, with a strong focus on growing teachers’ leadership capability to achieve the school’s vision, values, goals, and targets.
Shared leadership responsibility ensures that systems, practices, and processes are well known and sustainable when school circumstances change.
Respectful, collaborative learning environments encourage students to be engaged, make progress, and achieve.
Teachers use an appropriate range of strategies that engage students in learning and increase their understanding and knowledge.
Students learn in an environment where they are encouraged to be independent and take risks that allow them to make the most of all learning opportunities.
Te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are increasingly woven through all aspects of the school’s curriculum, reflecting the school’s strategic commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and promoting success for Māori learners.
Policies, programmes and practices are in place that promote learners’ wellbeing and engagement in learning.
The board collaborates strategically with school leadership to support and implement the school’s vision and values and achieve agreed goals and targets; it appropriately aligns resourcing to support learner-focused improvement goals and strategies.
Regular parent and whānau engagement and participation in the life of the school, encouraged by leaders, contributes to the school’s strategic direction; a range of strategies are used to communicate and engage with parents, whānau and the community.
Leaders and teachers affirm and cater for the significant number of English Language Learners in the school, appropriately supporting them to learn and progress.
A systematic approach to planning for school improvement is informed by quality evidence and evaluation.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
finalise, introduce, and embed the school’s draft Māori achievement plan in the current school year
continue to strengthen the collaborative response by all staff to support positive outcomes for English Language Learners in the school.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Every six months:
continue to analyse learners’ attendance, progress and achievement information to inform their next steps and respond to any differences amongst groups of learners.
Annually:
review and report on the impact of teaching and learning programmes on students’ progress and achievement to know what has been successful and what needs further improvement.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
increasing equity in wellbeing, engagement, and achievement outcomes for all learners, especially for Māori and English Language 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
5 August 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).