Waitomo Caves School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 31
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Hotel Access Road, Waitomo Caves
- Territorial authority
- Waitomo District
- Phone
- 07-8787534
- office@waitomocaves.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: 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.
- Term dates
- Term 1, 2026: Monday 2 February – Thursday 2 April
Term 1 | Monday 2 February | Thursday 2 April
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 2, 2026: Monday 20 April – Friday 3 July
Term 2 | Monday 20 April | Friday 3 July
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 3, 2026: Monday 20 July – Friday 25 September
Term 3 | Monday 20 July | Friday 25 September
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 4, 2026: Monday 12 October – Friday 11 December
Term 4 | Monday 12 October | Friday 11 December
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- 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
- ★ Develop positive social attitudes which embody our values.
- ★ Achieve by thinking, relating to others, using language, symbols and texts, managing self, participating and contributing.
- ★ Reflect and challenge themselves throughout their learning journey.
- ★ Celebrate as a community working together and caring for each other.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 12
- Māori
- 22
- Pacific
- 3
- Asian
- 3
- 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 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 02 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Year 03 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Year 04 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Year 05 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 06 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Year 07 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 08 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 22 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 32 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 06 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Age 07 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 08 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Age 09 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 22 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 32 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Waitomo Caves School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 53.9% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| Waitomo Caves 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 | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| Waitomo Caves 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 | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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)
- 526
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural other
- Date opened
- 10 July 1910
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
- 7 March 2024
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (7 March 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 7 March 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:
Compliance with the requirements of the Educational and Training Act in relation to child protection.
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 31 — 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
65
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 24 January 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 7 March 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 Waitomo Caves 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
Waitomo Caves School is a small rural school catering for students in Years 1 to 8. It is situated in the Waitomo area.
Waitomo Caves School ’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
reconnect a values focused culture and bring these values alive to enable progress and success
build and enhance student learning.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Waitomo Caves School ’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well school initiatives promote student wellbeing and learning to accelerate learning outcomes for those students achieving below expected levels.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:
respond to levels of achievement in the school
build capability to systematically identify at-risk learners and implement responsive programmes.
The school expects to see:
a range of data used to identify, track and monitor levels of student achievement
teaching programmes that address individual learning needs and promote equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners
the development and embedding of a localised curriculum
a continued focus to meet the needs of students.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to promote student wellbeing and learning outcomes.
Staff and trustees are aware of the need to progress student outcomes and build collective capability across the school.
There is a plan that identifies actions and goals to raise student achievement.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
building collective capacity to accelerate student progress and achievement
developing a meaningful and engaging local curriculum.
ERO has concerns about
levels of achievement in the school.
Recommendation
ERO recommends that the board access support to address levels of achievement in the school.
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.
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
7 March 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 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).