Karori West Normal School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 437
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Allington Road, Karori, Wellington
- Territorial authority
- Wellington City
- Phone
- 04-4766165
- office@kwns.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.kwns.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.
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.
- Term dates
- Term 1, 2026: Tuesday 3 February - Thursday 2 April
Term 1: Start Date: Tuesday 3 February End Date: Thursday 2 April
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 2, 2026: Monday 20 April - Friday 3 July
Term 2 Start Date: Monday 20 April End Date: Friday 3 July
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 3, 2026: Monday 20 July - Friday 25 September
Term 3 Start Date: Monday 20 July End Date: Friday 25 September
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 4, 2026: Monday 12 October - Tuesday 15 December
Term 4 Start Date: Monday 12 October End Date: Tuesday 15 December
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 1, 2026: Tuesday 3 February - Thursday 2 April
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 school values empower us to be friendly, inclusive, confident and learning focused.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 273
- Māori
- 46
- Pacific
- 23
- Asian
- 121
- MELAA
- 37
- Other
- 8
- 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 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 0 | 46 |
| Year 02 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 46 |
| Year 03 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 40 |
| Year 04 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 55 |
| Year 05 | 7 | 4 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 44 | 0 | 69 |
| Year 06 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 60 |
| Year 07 | 13 | 4 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 33 | 0 | 65 |
| Year 08 | 9 | 5 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 47 | 0 | 77 |
| Total | 54 | 24 | 117 | 34 | 5 | 276 | 0 | 458 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 44 |
| Age 06 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 46 |
| Age 07 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 41 |
| Age 08 | 7 | 4 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 53 |
| Age 09 | 8 | 4 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 46 | 0 | 72 |
| Age 10 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 60 |
| Age 11 | 13 | 4 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 32 | 0 | 61 |
| Age 12 | 9 | 5 | 21 | 6 | 2 | 47 | 0 | 80 |
| Age 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 54 | 24 | 117 | 34 | 5 | 276 | 0 | 458 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
3.3%
| Karori West Normal School | 3.3% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 24.7% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 6.8% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 26.7% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 3.3% |
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 West 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 West 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)
- 381
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 4 June 1932
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
- 9 March 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (9 March 2023)
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 9 March 2023 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 437 — 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.
March 2017
509
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 23 May 2017
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 9 March 2023 — “Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
Background
This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Karori West Normal School working in Te Ara Huarau , an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website www.ero.govt.nz
Context
Karori West Normal School, located in Wellington, provides education for learners from years 0 to 8.
Karori West Normal School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
students who are bold, joyful and connected and have a strong foundation in our values
students who are achieving at their potential in their learning and socially
teachers who are passionate, thoughtful, inspirational, innovative and reflective
a board that is focused on student progress and achievement and upholds our vision.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Karori West Normal School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the new leadership team promotes a community of learning where student learning and wellbeing outcomes are prioritised, equitable and sustainable.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that the school has identified the need to work collectively to review current practices, consider how best to raise student outcomes, determine and put in place improvement strategies.
The school expects to see the capability of all leaders and teachers further strengthened through:
the use of a range of reliable evidence from evaluation, inquiry and knowledge building activities to select, develop and review strategies for improvement
developing and pursuing shared goals related to the acceleration of learners at risk of underachievement
the building of collective capacity and agency across all levels of the school: leaders, staff and students.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how effectively the new leadership team promotes a community of learning where student learning and wellbeing outcomes are prioritised, equitable and sustainable:
senior leadership is actively building relational trust and setting up systems and processes that support the learning and pastoral care of all students and their whānau
a range of effective, reciprocal communication strategies is being developed to engage with and strengthen learning-centred partnerships with whānau
the introduction and trialling of digital devices and ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (2021) is enabling students to show and manage their learning with increasing independence.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
strengthening effective ‘assessment for learning’ practices, and the use of curriculum documents and observations to identify learning needs and make accurate judgements about student achievement and progress in mathematics
building evaluative capability and teacher expertise to ensure that assessment information is used to guide effective teaching practice
develop a strategic framework in consultation with our whānau rōpū to further deepen and enrich culturally responsive practices and competencies that support Māori learners to achieve success as Māori .
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Kathy Lye Acting Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern) Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
9 March 2023
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).