Te Kowhai School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 305
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 605 Horotiu Road, Te Kowhai
- Territorial authority
- Waikato District
- Phone
- 07-8297860
- admin@tekowhai.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Waikato
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.
- Getting there
- Free school bus service for families living further than 3.2 kilometres from Te Kowhai School where it is their closest school, under Go-Bus’s contract with the Ministry of Education
Te Kowhai School offers a bus service. To be classed as ‘eligible’ for this free bus service families have to meet the criteria of being further than 3.2 kilometres from Te Kowhai School.
- Free school bus service for families living further than 3.2 kilometres from Te Kowhai School where it is their closest school, under Go-Bus’s contract with the Ministry of Education
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
- Te Kōwhai School: Vision for Learning
- At Te Kōwhai School, our tamariki are connected, and empowered learners, who contribute positively to society.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 288
- Māori
- 31
- Pacific
- 13
- Asian
- 10
- MELAA
- 14
- 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 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 29 |
| Year 02 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 37 |
| Year 03 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 53 | 0 | 57 |
| Year 04 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 40 |
| Year 05 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 48 | 0 | 53 |
| Year 06 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 45 |
| Year 07 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 39 |
| Year 08 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 25 |
| Total | 41 | 18 | 12 | 15 | 0 | 305 | 0 | 325 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 26 |
| Age 06 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 37 |
| Age 07 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 52 | 0 | 55 |
| Age 08 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 40 |
| Age 09 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 0 | 53 |
| Age 10 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 48 |
| Age 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 32 |
| Age 12 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 30 |
| Age 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 41 | 18 | 12 | 15 | 0 | 305 | 0 | 325 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
52.8%
| Te Kowhai School | 52.8% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 53.9% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 99.3% |
| Māori | 95.2% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 55.8% |
| Total | 52.8% |
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%
| Te Kowhai School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 6.6% |
| 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%
| Te Kowhai School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 2.4% |
| 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)
- 414
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural settlement
- Date opened
- 25 January 1890
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
- 12 December 2022
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (12 December 2022)
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 12 December 2022 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 305 — 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.
July 2017
337
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 1 September 2017
May 2014
330
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 26 June 2014
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 12 December 2022 — “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 six months of the Education Review Office and Te Kowhai 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
Te Kowhai school is located in the township of Te Kowhai , near Hamilton. The school provides education for students in Years 1 to 8.
Te Kowhai School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are focused on:
targeted and deliberate teaching practices to positively impact the progress of all learners
culturally responsive practice to value diversity, culture, languages, identities and wellbeing
building a responsive curriculum that connects to students’ lives, community and environment.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Te Kowhai School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the effectiveness of programmes and practices to increase learner outcomes in literacy. Implementing a sequential school-wide approach to teaching and strengthening students’ knowledge and ownership of their learning pathways are ongoing focus areas for the school.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
the opportunity to further strengthen effective pedagogy in teaching and learning that consistently promotes equitable outcomes for students
the commitment to further develop learner agency and empowerment in learning.
The school expects to see deliberate actions implemented to improve equitable outcomes for all learners in literacy.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to raise student outcomes in literacy:
strategic leadership that is reflective, open to change and focused on continuous improvement
a collaborative, inclusive learning culture that supports the diverse needs of learners
the provision of professional development that supports improved teaching practices and scaffolds new learning.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
developing students’ learning-to-learn capabilities to empower them to lead their own learning
implementing a strategic approach to teaching and learning to support consistency of school-wide practices and improve student achievement.
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
12 December 2022
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).