Waikato Diocesan School For Girls
Secondary (Year 9-15) · State : Integrated
- Year levels
- 9–13
- Total roll
- 680
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Girls School
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 660 River Road, Hamilton
- Territorial authority
- Hamilton City
- Phone
- 07-8552038
- principal@wdsg.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
Full and correct school uniform must be worn at all times both within and outside the school grounds.
- 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.
- In their words
- Preparing confident, resourceful and resilient young women to make a positive difference in their world.
Our Vision Preparing confident, resourceful and resilient young women to make a positive difference in their world.
- Preparing confident, resourceful and resilient young women to make a positive difference in their world.
- Special character
- Our special character as an Anglican girls’ boarding school, underpins and informs everything that we do. Our Christian values are the clay from which the character of our students will be moulded and it is also the canvas upon which our wahine will paint their destiny.
- International students
- Accepted, as stated
We welcome International students into our school community and value the rich cultural mix they bring to our learning environment.
- Accepted, as stated
What is on offer beyond the classroom?
The sports, arts, clubs and groups this school names on its own website. Not a complete list of what any school offers, and not a count — a school that names more here has written more down, which is not the same as doing more.
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.
- On offer
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Cricket
- Cross Country
- Cycling
- Equestrian
- Football
- Futsal
- Hockey
- Inline Hockey
- Lacrosse
- Netball
- Rowing
- Rugby Sevens
- Sport Climbing
- Squash
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Touch
- Volleyball
- Water Polo
- Pixie Kickers (Guitar Ensemble)
- Jazz Band
- Orchestra
- Worship Band
- Barbershop
- Cantiamo Choir
- Auditioned Choir (Bel Suono Choir)
- Dance Groups
- Drama Productions
- Sheilah Winn Shakespeare
- Theatre Sports
- Debating
- Kapa Haka
- Library Helpers
- Techy Angels
- NOISE Student Magazine
- Philosophy and Ethics Club
- Performance Lessons and Instrumental Music Groups
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 574
- Māori
- 58
- Pacific
- 6
- Asian
- 90
- MELAA
- 9
- Other
- 1
- International
- 18
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 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 123 | 1 | 148 |
| Year 10 | 16 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 130 | 3 | 164 |
| Year 11 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 115 | 2 | 133 |
| Year 12 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 121 | 9 | 140 |
| Year 13+ | 12 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 1 | 110 |
| Total | 60 | 4 | 64 | 5 | 0 | 582 | 16 | 695 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 13 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 103 | 1 | 128 |
| Age 14 | 13 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 124 | 1 | 154 |
| Age 15 | 13 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 122 | 3 | 142 |
| Age 16 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 123 | 5 | 139 |
| Age 17 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 4 | 116 |
| Age 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 15 |
| Age 19+ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 60 | 4 | 64 | 5 | 0 | 582 | 16 | 695 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
97.4%
| Waikato Diocesan School For Girls | 97.4% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 84.2% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 88% |
| State: Integrated | 95.8% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 97.4% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 100% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 97.1% |
| Total | 97.4% |
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
96.6%
| Waikato Diocesan School For Girls | 96.6% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 75.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 81% |
| State: Integrated | 92.1% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 96.6% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 93.3% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 96.1% |
| Total | 96.6% |
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
90.5%
| Waikato Diocesan School For Girls | 90.5% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 51.3% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 61.8% |
| State: Integrated | 77.7% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 90.5% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 73.3% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 89.2% |
| Total | 90.5% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
19%
| Waikato Diocesan School For Girls | 19% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 15.1% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 15.2% |
| State: Integrated | 13.5% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 19% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 40% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 18.6% |
| Total | 19% |
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
92.2%
| Waikato Diocesan School For Girls | 92.2% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 77.4% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 83.5% |
| State: Integrated | 91.1% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 92.2% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | 80% |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 91.2% |
| Total | 92.2% |
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
| Total | 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 |
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
0%
| Waikato Diocesan School For Girls | 0% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 53.9% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 35.8% |
| State : Integrated | 16.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| Waikato Diocesan School For Girls | 0% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 6.6% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 4% |
| State : Integrated | 1.6% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| Waikato Diocesan School For Girls | 0% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 2.4% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 1.7% |
| State : Integrated | 0.5% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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)
- 391
- Boarding
- Yes
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 31 January 1928
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
- 5
- Last reviewed
- 14 February 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (14 February 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 same report — the board assurance report of 14 February 2023 — 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 has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
police vetting for non-teaching staff every three years.
[s 104 Education and Training Act, 2020]
The board has since addressed 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 680 — 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.
June 2016
679
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 9 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 14 February 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 seven months of the Education Review Office and Waikato Diocesan School for Girls 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
Waikato Diocesan School for Girls is a state integrated Anglican school, located in Hamilton. It provides education for both day and boarding students from Years 9 to 13.
Waikato Diocesan School for Girls strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
to provide a safe and caring supportive environment where all members of the school community are valued and respected
to provide learner-centred programmes that meet the needs and aspirations of all students and inspire a passion for lifelong learning
to attract, develop and retain inspiring staff who are mentors and facilitators of effective teaching and learning
to foster the physical, cultural, personal, and social development of each student.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Waikato Diocesan School for Girls website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which practices that support learner wellbeing are modelled and demonstrated throughout the school community.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
there is an awareness of the need to re-establish connections in the dynamic post-covid environment to further support wellbeing within the special character school
to support and reaffirm the sense of belonging amongst whaanau whaanui
the belief that positive wellbeing is central to successful life-long learning for all.
The school expects to see:
a shared and well-understood vision for wellbeing in the school
evidence of improved wellbeing outcomes for learners
a school community that has a strong sense of belonging and purpose
the school community using a range of strategies and tools to actively support wellbeing.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the extent to which practices that support learner wellbeing are modelled and demonstrated throughout the school community:
a strong special character with shared values
a willingness to engage with te ao Māori to further understand the sense of belonging and wellbeing
a strategic vision and commitment to support and grow wellbeing.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
planning the internal evaluation cycle to include engagement with all stakeholders
gathering information about current wellbeing practices and determining their effectiveness
investigating best practice evidence to inform the investigative phase of the evaluation.
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
14 February 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 5 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).