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Contributing · State

Hillcrest Normal School

218 Cambridge Road, Hillcrest · Waikato

See all schools in Hillcrest →

Total roll 678
EQI 397
Founded 1923
74

Composite score

Established

B+

Above median

Rank #859 of scored NZ schools

In summary

Hillcrest Normal School's Board of Trustees attested to meeting all regulatory and legislative requirements as of March 2024, with Board Administration and curriculum requirements affirmed in the April 2024 board assurance review. No composite score is currently available for this school.

Best suited for

Students in Hillcrest looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.

Is Hillcrest Normal School a good school?

Hillcrest Normal School scores 74/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Above median nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.

Strengths from the latest ERO report

  • Leadership values and nurtures a culture of professional growth and development
  • Teaching practices are relational and affirming, and classrooms have clearly established routines and expectations for learning
  • Professional learning for teachers aligns to the school's strategic priorities and the needs of learners

Summary derived from ERO reports + audited financials + MoE records. Every claim links to its source — see data transparency at the bottom of this page.

Score breakdown

6 axes, each scored 0–100 on a national absolute scale. As at 2025.

How this is computed
Wellbeing
35%
standdowns 13.1/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · below band median (n=536) · why?
Composite of stand-downs, suspensions, and exclusions per 1,000 students (lower is better). Formula: standdowns/1k + 2× suspensions/1k + 5× exclusions/1k. Small primary schools with no rows score top of band ("no incidents reported"). Source: Education Counts student engagement. Year: 2024. Peer comparison: below band median (n=536).
87
Trajectory
25%
+4.7% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · above band median (n=534) · why?
5-year change in total roll. −20% → 0 score, 0% → 50, +20% → 100. Source: Education Counts roll history. Year: 2025. Peer comparison: above band median (n=534).
56
ERO review
40%
74/100 from ERO review 2024-04 · bottom quartile of band (n=539) · why?
Composite score from the most recent Education Review Office report (Haiku-extracted 0–100 from the published review text). For primary schools this is the heaviest axis (40%) because NCEA-style outcomes data isn't applicable. Source: ERO via Wayback archive. Year: 2024. Peer comparison: bottom quartile of band (n=539).
74

⚠ Insufficient EQI-band peers (n<10) to compute per-axis percentile context. The score above is absolute; treat it as a single-school read rather than a peer comparison.

Real ERO composite (from the latest review): 74/100.

Latest ERO review

2024-04-22 · Shelley Booysen, ERO

ERO report
  • Most students achieve at or above expected curriculum level for reading, writing and maths
  • Significant disparity for boys in writing; boys and girls achieve at similar rates in reading and maths
  • Māori students' achievement rates have improved over time; however, significant disparity remains in writing and maths
  • School leadership works collaboratively and strategically to improve outcomes for learners
  • Teaching practices are relational and affirming with clearly established routines and expectations for learning
"School leadership works collaboratively and strategically to improve outcomes for learners."
— ERO, 2024-04-22 (leadership)

Composite score across reviews

2 ERO reviews on file, 2018–2024. Click a point to read that review.

latest 74
0 25 50 75 100 20182024 2018-11-28 · 81/100 2024-04-22 · 74/100

Audited financials

Year ended 2024 · Audit opinion: n/a

Annual report

Total revenue

$6.30M

Surplus / (deficit)

+$170k

Net assets / equity

$2.63M

3 years of audited data on file · View full history (Pro)

Discipline (age-standardised, per 1,000 students)

Stand-down = sent home temporarily. Suspension = formal investigation. Exclusion = removed from school. National averages shown for comparison.

Education Counts

Stand-downs · 2024

13.1

3 this year · NZ avg ~37

Suspensions · 2024

0.0

· NZ avg ~5

Exclusions · 2024

0.0

· NZ avg ~1.5

Government funding

Crown funding only (school operations + teacher salaries + property). Excludes locally-raised funds, international fees and trading income — those are in the audited financial report above.

Education Counts

Total Crown funding · 2022

$4.67M

Per-student funding · 2022

$6,883

2018

$3.4M

2019

$3.8M

2020

$3.9M

2021

$4.3M

2022

$4.7M

Roll by year level

July 2025 roll return.

Education Counts
  • Year 01
    98
  • Year 02
    88
  • Year 03
    79
  • Year 04
    98
  • Year 05
    123
  • Year 06
    117
  • Year 07
    19

Roll by ethnicity

Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.

Education Counts
  • Asian
    41.4%
  • European/Pākehā
    41.3%
  • Māori
    11.9%
  • Other / MELAA
    9.9%
  • Pacific
    2.9%
  • International
    0.3%

International students

SIEBA member · Day school only

ESOL support

partial

Years accepted

Year 0-6

Location

218 Cambridge Road, Hillcrest. Nearby schools marked in grey.

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Frequently asked

Is Hillcrest Normal School a good school?

Hillcrest Normal School scores 74/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Above median nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.

What does the latest ERO review say?

ERO's 2024-04 review identified 6 key findings. Most students achieve at or above expected curriculum level for reading, writing and maths

How do I enrol my child at Hillcrest Normal School?

Contact the school directly on 07-8566129, email enquiries@hillcrestnormal.school.nz, or visit www.hillcrestnormal.school.nz. For state schools, check your home address against the school's enrolment zone — some schools are in-zone-only.

What are the fees?

Hillcrest Normal School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.

What is the roll size?

Hillcrest Normal School has 678 students, with an EQI of 397 (lower socio-economic need).

When was the school last reviewed by ERO?

The Education Review Office last reviewed Hillcrest Normal School in 2024-04, signed by Shelley Booysen. 4 ERO reports are on file in our archive.

Data transparency

Every fact on this page links to its source. We never publish a claim without provenance — read our methodology for the full rules.

Last updated

31 Dec 2024

Source documents

5 cited

Spot an error?

Report a correction

Sourced from

  • ero.govt.nz
  • hillcrestnormal.school.nz
  • sieba.nz
  • schoolsdata.co.nz
  • crimestats.co.nz