Sacred Heart Girls' College (Ham)
Secondary (Year 9-15) · State : Integrated
- Year levels
- 9–13
- Total roll
- 937
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Girls School
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 52 Clyde Street, Hamilton East, Hamilton
- Territorial authority
- Hamilton City
- Phone
- 07-8567874
- areid@shgcham.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.shgcham.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Hamilton · schools in Waikato
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
A formal uniform is to be worn throughout the year.
- Required
- Term dates
- Term 3, 2026: Begins Mon, 20 July – Ends Fri, 25 September
Term 3, 2026 Begins Mon, 20 July Ends Fri, 25 September
- Term 4, 2026: Begins Mon, 12 October – Ends Wed, 9 December
Term 4, 2026 Begins Mon, 12 October Ends Wed, 9 December
- Term 3, 2026: Begins Mon, 20 July – Ends Fri, 25 September
- Getting there
- All Ministry of Education (MOE) ‘out of town’ school buses to Sacred Heart Girls’ College are free services and students qualify based on residence.
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
We are a team dedicated to supporting and caring for our international students.
- Accepted, as stated
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 591
- Māori
- 169
- Pacific
- 112
- Asian
- 253
- MELAA
- 28
- Other
- 15
- International
- 25
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 | 42 | 22 | 50 | 8 | 3 | 130 | 0 | 205 |
| Year 10 | 39 | 23 | 39 | 6 | 5 | 147 | 6 | 211 |
| Year 11 | 38 | 27 | 36 | 3 | 2 | 124 | 7 | 185 |
| Year 12 | 36 | 14 | 35 | 5 | 2 | 123 | 3 | 176 |
| Year 13+ | 31 | 15 | 40 | 7 | 1 | 98 | 1 | 155 |
| Total | 186 | 101 | 200 | 29 | 13 | 622 | 17 | 932 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 13 | 36 | 18 | 43 | 4 | 2 | 99 | 0 | 162 |
| Age 14 | 37 | 23 | 40 | 9 | 5 | 149 | 1 | 209 |
| Age 15 | 40 | 24 | 34 | 4 | 3 | 133 | 4 | 190 |
| Age 16 | 34 | 18 | 38 | 4 | 2 | 122 | 5 | 179 |
| Age 17 | 35 | 16 | 31 | 8 | 1 | 100 | 5 | 155 |
| Age 18 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 33 |
| Age 19+ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 186 | 101 | 200 | 29 | 13 | 622 | 17 | 932 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
94.6%
| Sacred Heart Girls' College (Ham) | 94.6% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 84.2% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 88% |
| State: Integrated | 95.8% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 94.6% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 88.1% |
| Pacific | 100% |
| Asian | 100% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 92.7% |
| Total | 94.6% |
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
90.3%
| Sacred Heart Girls' College (Ham) | 90.3% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 75.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 81% |
| State: Integrated | 92.1% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 90.3% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 81% |
| Pacific | 94.1% |
| Asian | 97.6% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 88.7% |
| Total | 90.3% |
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
75.1%
| Sacred Heart Girls' College (Ham) | 75.1% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 51.3% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 61.8% |
| State: Integrated | 77.7% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 75.1% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 61.9% |
| Pacific | 82.4% |
| Asian | 95.1% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 69.4% |
| Total | 75.1% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
5.9%
| Sacred Heart Girls' College (Ham) | 5.9% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 15.1% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 15.2% |
| State: Integrated | 13.5% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 5.9% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 7.1% |
| Pacific | 5.9% |
| Asian | 12.2% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 4.8% |
| Total | 5.9% |
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
88.1%
| Sacred Heart Girls' College (Ham) | 88.1% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 77.4% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 83.5% |
| State: Integrated | 91.1% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 88.1% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 78.6% |
| Pacific | 100% |
| Asian | 97.6% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 84.7% |
| Total | 88.1% |
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
8.6%
| Sacred Heart Girls' College (Ham) | 8.6% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 53.9% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 35.8% |
| State : Integrated | 16.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 8.6% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Māori | 12.3% |
| Pacific | 27% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 5.7% |
| Total | 8.6% |
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
0.5%
| Sacred Heart Girls' College (Ham) | 0.5% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 6.6% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 4% |
| State : Integrated | 1.6% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0.5% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Māori | 2.5% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0.5% |
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
0.7%
| Sacred Heart Girls' College (Ham) | 0.7% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 2.4% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 1.7% |
| State : Integrated | 0.5% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0.7% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Māori | 3.1% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0.7% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 439
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 31 July 1884
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
- 7
- Last reviewed
- 13 February 2025
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (13 February 2025)
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 13 February 2025 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 937 — 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.
May 2016
913
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 16 August 2016
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 13 February 2025 — “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
Sacred Heart Girls’ College (Ham) is a Catholic state-integrated secondary school located in Hamilton East. The college provides education for learners in Years 9 to 13. Since the previous ERO review there have been two new appointments to the senior leadership team.
The school is guided by its vision is: ignite the Passion; inspiring young women to change the world - me aro ki te haa o Hineahuone and values - whakapono (faith), tuumanako (hope) and tika (justice).
There are three parts to this report.
Part A: A summary of the findings from the most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report and/or subsequent evaluation.
Part B: 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 C: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
Part A: Previous Improvement Goals
Since the previous ERO report of October 2022, ERO and the school have worked to evaluate the extent to which the schoolwide pastoral care strategy was meeting the wellbeing and learning needs of all students, including Māori and Pacific students.
Expected Improvements and Findings
The school expected to see:
Strong tuakana teina relationships between students and teachers to support hauora .
Students understand the concept of tuakana teina and these relationships are increasingly evident.
Students have opportunity to learn how to facilitate these relationships for increased wellbeing amongst students in the school community.
Effective communication between students, teachers and whānau resulting in stronger learning focused partnerships.
Students are supported to have conversations with teachers and whānau to set learning goals.
Specific resources and support are provided to facilitate effective communication focused on learning.
Students increasingly respond to these opportunities and whānau engagement continues to be a focus.
Students who are confident agents of their learning, can articulate their learning needs, understand the purpose of learning and know how to seek support to be successful.
The stepped development of agency through goal setting has had positive impacts on outcomes for some.
The focus on expectations for teaching and learning supports students to identify their own learning steps and actively seek help if needed.
Student voice in the learning process is more evident and teachers are responding positively to learning needs and interests.
Other Findings
The greatest shift that occurred in response to the school’s action in relation to further development of the pastoral care system has been a higher level for engagement with whānau , opportunities for more student voice and agency, a proactive approach to pastoral care matters and an increasingly positive culture for learning. Māori and Pacific students report a greater sense of belonging in the school community.
Part B: Current State
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
Learner Success and Wellbeing
Most students are making progress and achieve well.
Most students achieve National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 1 and 2 and a large majority achieve Level 3 and University Entrance; continuing to improve equity for Māori and Pacific student outcomes remains a priority.
Achievement information for students in Years 9 and 10 show that the majority are making progress against expected curriculum levels; students with additional learning needs are very well supported and make progress in their learning.
Most students leave Sacred Heart College with a meaningful qualification and a pathway.
A small majority of students have regular attendance; the school is progressing towards the government’s attendance targets.
Conditions to support learner success
S chool leadership works collaboratively to develop a range of strategies designed to improve outcomes for students.
Leaders and staff effectively promote a positive school culture with a clear focus on improving student hauora and learning outcomes.
High quality teaching underpinned by effective practices is becoming embedded.
Leadership is further strengthening their response the pastoral and learning needs of Māori and Pacific students.
Students have many opportunities to learn across the breadth of the curriculum and are well supported by effective teaching practice.
Teaching practices are relational, affirming and increasingly responsive to students’ learning needs.
The integration of the school’s special character by leaders and teachers promotes a sustained focus on equity and excellence in the curriculum.
Curriculum initiatives and programmes that incorporate local contexts and te ao Māori concepts are increasingly evident.
Organisational conditions are increasingly aligned and drive strategic improvement.
Teachers’ professional growth and development is supported and aligned with school strategic priorities.
Systems for collating and presenting high level achievement information have been identified as an area for refinement.
The school continues to seek out and strengthen partnerships with the community, including mana whenua and the Pacific community.
Part C: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
continue to develop, implement strengthened school systems and evaluate initiatives that support Māori and Pacific students to achieve equitable outcomes
continue to develop and implement effective strategies to increase students’ regular attendance
continue to embed effective teaching practice and implement changes in New Zealand Curriculum to improve student engagement and learning outcomes.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Every six months:
continue to embed teachers’ consistent use of effective teaching practice schoolwide
Māori and Pacific achievement outcomes are strategically prioritised to ensure a targeted response for equity
continue to support and monitor the implementation of strategies to increase students’ attendance
Annually:
evaluate teaching practice for effectiveness and impact on student learning outcomes
reflect on and review the impact of the targeted responses to raise achievement for Māori and Pacific learners
report to the board on shifts, trends and patterns of attendance and impact of initiatives designed to improve students’ engagement in learning.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
increased levels of achievement for all, particularly for Māori and Pacific students
higher rates of regular attendance and engagement
effective teaching practice and a highly responsive curriculum that responds to the needs of students.
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
13 February 2025
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 7 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).