Totara Grove School
Contributing · State
- Year levels
- 1–6
- Total roll
- 278
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 38 Corks Road, Kamo, Whangarei
- Territorial authority
- Whangarei District
- Phone
- 09-4350019
- office@totaragrove.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Whangārei · schools in Northland
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.
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
- At Totara Grove School, we aspire for all students leaving our school to be confident, capable, well-rounded, positive and resilient citizens and contributors to society who are achieving their potential academically, socially, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 121
- Māori
- 197
- Pacific
- 36
- Asian
- 18
- MELAA
- 7
- 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 | 28 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 36 |
| Year 02 | 42 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 54 |
| Year 03 | 28 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 46 |
| Year 04 | 41 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 53 |
| Year 05 | 36 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 55 |
| Year 06 | 25 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 34 |
| Year 07 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 205 | 36 | 21 | 6 | 0 | 124 | 0 | 283 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 27 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 34 |
| Age 06 | 37 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 50 |
| Age 07 | 31 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 45 |
| Age 08 | 42 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 55 |
| Age 09 | 35 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 55 |
| Age 10 | 28 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 39 |
| Age 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 205 | 36 | 21 | 6 | 0 | 124 | 0 | 283 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
8.5%
| Totara Grove School | 8.5% |
|---|---|
| Northland Region | 52% |
| Contributing | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 15.6% |
| Māori | 11.5% |
| Pacific | 81.4% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 8.5% |
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%
| Totara Grove School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Northland Region | 6.5% |
| 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 | 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%
| Totara Grove School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Northland Region | 2.7% |
| 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 | 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)
- 530
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Large urban area
- Date opened
- 31 January 1966
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
- 3
- Last reviewed
- 19 September 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (19 September 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 19 September 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 278 — 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.
November 2017
324
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 13 December 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 19 September 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 24 months of the Education Review Office and Totara Grove School working in Te Ara Huarau , due to a change in Evaluation Partner and new principal appointment. Te Ara Huarau is 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
Totara Grove School is located in Whangārei , Northland. It provides education for students in Years 0 to 6.
A new principal was appointed in Term 3, 2022.
The school’s vision is Tupu Tahi- Growing Together; Standing Strong; Reaching High. The school is a member of the Te Tai Raki Whangārei Kāhui Ako.
Totara Grove School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for ākonga are:
Developing Curriculum/ Ako.
Fostering Wellbeing/ Manaakitanga, Tū Rangatira.
Strengthening Connection/ Whanaungatanga.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Totara Grove School website.
The school and ERO are working together to evaluate how well targeted, specific professional development in writing is contributing to strengthening teacher pedagogical understanding, with a focus on planning, teaching and assessment practices.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:
tailoring writing professional development to support teacher pedagogical understanding in practice, including the introduction of Te Mātaiaho
building schoolwide teacher consistency in teaching and learning, and assessment practices in writing
improving schoolwide progress and achievement learning outcomes for all ākonga.
The school expects to see:
a pedagogical shift in schoolwide teacher practice and their confidence in teaching writing
teachers effectively schoolwide using data assessment in writing to inform next steps in teaching and learning for ākonga
an improvement schoolwide in ākonga progress and achievement in writing.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how well targeted, specific professional development in writing is contributing to strengthening teacher pedagogical understanding with a focus on planning, teaching and assessment practices.
A schoolwide learning culture that is characterised by the school values of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, ako and tū rangatira.
Teachers and leaders fostering, promoting and valuing culturally responsive teaching and learning practices.
A schoolwide commitment to developing best pedagogical practices to ensure the progress, achievement and learning outcomes for all ākonga .
Leadership that collaboratively promotes relational trust and enacts the school vision and values.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
developing its own schoolwide writing programme to support best practice, including planning and teaching
developing its own schoolwide rubric to support teacher consistency in assessment through effective moderation practices
continuing with teacher professional development support and improve the progress and achievement outcomes for all ākonga , including priority learners.
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
19 September 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 3 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).