St Michael's Catholic School (Rotorua)
Contributing · State : Integrated
- Year levels
- 1–6
- Total roll
- 100
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Lisa Crescent, Western Heights, Rotorua
- Territorial authority
- Rotorua District
- Phone
- 07-3481362
- admin@stmichaelsrotorua.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Rotorua · schools in Bay of Plenty
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 children must come to and from school in the correct uniform.
- Required
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.
- Special character
- Mission: To provide an outstanding Catholic education that challenges students to be the best that they can be,
- whilst walking in the light of Christ.
- Motto: Christ be my Light – Ko te Karaiti toku marama
- Vision: We will be confident, active learners who strive for excellence while “doing ordinary things, extraordinarily well” – Catherine McAuley
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 50
- Māori
- 38
- Pacific
- 7
- Asian
- 34
- MELAA
- 6
- Other
- 1
- 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 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Year 02 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 19 |
| Year 03 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 04 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 17 |
| Year 05 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 23 |
| Year 06 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 17 |
| Year 07 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 38 | 5 | 33 | 8 | 1 | 46 | 0 | 102 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 15 |
| Age 06 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 18 |
| Age 07 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
| Age 08 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 17 |
| Age 09 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 24 |
| Age 10 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 17 |
| Age 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 38 | 5 | 33 | 8 | 1 | 46 | 0 | 102 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| St Michael's Catholic School (Rotorua) | 0% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 37.4% |
| Contributing | 35.6% |
| State : Integrated | 16.2% |
| 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%
| St Michael's Catholic School (Rotorua) | 0% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 3.8% |
| Contributing | 3.5% |
| State : Integrated | 1.6% |
| 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%
| St Michael's Catholic School (Rotorua) | 0% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 1.4% |
| Contributing | 1.5% |
| State : Integrated | 0.5% |
| 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)
- 444
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Large urban area
- Date opened
- 5 October 1958
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
- 4 April 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (4 April 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 4 April 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 100 — 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.
August 2018
137
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 26 October 2018
February 2015
157
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 30 March 2015
We draw no line between these. Each was counted for its own report, years apart, by a different review team, and a roll moves between reviews for reasons none of these figures record — so the difference between any two of them measures nothing.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 4 April 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 7 months of the Education Review Office and St Michael's Catholic School ( Rotorua ) 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
St Michael’s Catholic School is a small state integrated school located in Rotorua , providing education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school lies within St Michael’s Parish and was opened in 1958 by the Mercy Sisters to serve the community of Western Heights.
The special Catholic character, Mercy Charism, rich history, cultural diversity and family values are prioritised within all levels of school operation.
St Michael's Catholic School ( Rotorua )’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to ensure:
staff and students have meaningful intentional encounters with Christ through real life experiences
learners will have choice and agency and will be actively engaged in their learning
every learner will have equitable opportunity to have success across the curriculum
teaching capabilities across the curriculum are enhanced and strengthened.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on St Michael's Catholic School ( Rotorua )’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well all learners are spiritually and culturally empowered to achieve personal success.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:
ensure all learners are secure and empowered through their Catholic faith and cultural identity
provide a culturally responsive curriculum that supports and engages all learners to achieve successful outcomes of equity and excellence
strengthen school-wide consistency of effective and responsive teacher practice and assessment.
The school expects to see an authentic, culturally responsive Catholic curriculum that is delivered through effective teaching and learning practices, resulting in improved outcomes of equity and excellence for every learner.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goals:
Valued connections and relationships with kaumatua, whānau , priests and the St Michael’s Parish.
The school-wide priority to provide a caring and inclusive environment where learners are encouraged to be the best they can be, empowered through the Catholic faith.
Collaborative and committed staff who are focused on improving outcomes for all learners.
An established pedagogical network focused on supporting and strengthening positive outcomes for all learners.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise outcomes of equity and excellence for all learners through ongoing staff professional learning in the areas of:
Catholic special character education
culturally responsive pedagogy
effective assessment for learning practices
a structured approach to literacy.
The school will also continue to prioritise whānau , parish and community partnerships.
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.
Phil Cowie Director Review and Improvement Services (Central) Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
4 April 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).