Sunset Primary School
Contributing · State
- Year levels
- 1–6
- Total roll
- 167
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 110/170 Sunset Road, Fordlands, Rotorua
- Territorial authority
- Rotorua District
- Phone
- 07-3484289
- office@sunset.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.sunset.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 students are expected to be in school uniform
- Required
- Term dates
- Term 1, 2026: Monday 2 February - Thursday 2 April
Monday 2 February - Thursday 2 April
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 2, 2026: Monday 20 April - Friday 3 July
Monday 20 April - Friday 3 July
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 3, 2026: Monday 20 July - Friday 25 September
Monday 20 July - Friday 25 September
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 4, 2026: Monday 6 October - Friday 11 December
Monday 6 October - Friday 11 December
Year stated as2026 Term Dates
- Term 1, 2026: Monday 2 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
- Grounded in whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, and ako, we guide every child to stand tall in their identity, show courage in their learning, and succeed as caring, capable contributors to their school, community, and all aspects of their life.
- Together we grow and shine as learners, leaders, and kaitiaki in a place where everyone belongs – Tupu tahi tātou.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 8
- Māori
- 153
- Pacific
- 11
- Asian
- 5
- MELAA
- 0
- Other
- 0
- 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 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Year 02 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| Year 03 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 |
| Year 04 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Year 05 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 |
| Year 06 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 |
| Year 07 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 130 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 143 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Age 06 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Age 07 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| Age 08 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Age 09 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 |
| Age 10 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 |
| Age 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 130 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 143 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
189%
| Sunset Primary School | 189% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 37.4% |
| Contributing | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 80.2% |
|---|---|
| Male | 286.1% |
| Māori | 147.9% |
| Pacific | 145.3% |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | 189% |
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%
| Sunset Primary School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 3.8% |
| 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 | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| Sunset Primary School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Bay of Plenty Region | 1.4% |
| 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 | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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)
- 551
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- Some students taught in te reo Māori
- Urban / rural
- Large urban area
- Date opened
- 25 January 1964
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 January 2024
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (22 January 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 same report — the board assurance report of 22 January 2024 — also sets out actions for compliance: the non-compliance ERO identified during that process. This is that section of the report in full, in ERO’s words.
ERO and the board have identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
The board of a state school must, at least once every 2 years, after consulting the school community, adopt a statement on the delivery of the health curriculum.
[Education and Training Act 2020]
The board has since taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.
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 167 — 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
123
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 27 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 January 2024 — “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 24 months of the Education Review Office and Sunset Primary 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
Sunset Primary School is situated in Rotorua and provides education for students in Years 1 to 6 in English and bilingual medium pathways. The board and staff promote the school mission, mā te Mahitahi ka tutuki , as one we can achieve.
Sunset Primary School ’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
create a safe and inclusive culture where diversity is valued and all learner/ ākonga and staff feel they belong
reduce financial dependence on families and whānau
adjust learning opportunities, teaching approaches and supports to improve outcomes for students
develop opportunities for teachers/ kaiako and leaders to build their capability, knowledge and skills in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori
invest in opportunities for teachers/ kaiako and staff to strengthen teaching, leadership and learning support where required.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Sunset Primary School ’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well changes to mathematics programmes have improved student achievement.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
to inform the continued development of common practices that strengthen teaching and learning programmes
to continue to accelerate student progress in mathematics
to inform the school’s strategic direction.
The school expects to see:
the identification and use of practices and strategies that impact the most on raising student outcomes
improved student achievement, attendance and engagement.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal of improving teaching and learning, and student outcomes, in mathematics:
leaders and staff are aware of the need, and are committed to improving outcomes for all learners
a school-wide focus on the wellbeing of staff and ākonga
a focus on mahitahi that sets the foundation for collaboration and collective practice
the implementation of the school’s local curriculum to improve students’ sense of belonging, language, culture and identity.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
the evaluation of the effectiveness of mathematics initiatives on learners’ progress, achievement and engagement
the evaluation of the impact of the local curriculum on learning outcomes.
Recommendation
ERO recommends that the school develops procedures to support policy implementation, as per current school policy documentation, particularly in aspects of health and safety policy implementation.
Shelley Booysen Di rector of Schools
22 January 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).