Holy Cross School (Papatoetoe)
Carruth Road, Papatoetoe · Auckland — South
See all schools in Papatoetoe →
Composite score
Strong
Top 25% in NZ
Rank #340 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Holy Cross School (Papatoetoe) achieves equitable and excellent outcomes for students, with sustained high levels of achievement in literacy and mathematics. Almost all Māori children are achieving within or beyond expected curriculum levels, and children with additional needs receive high quality inclusive care. The school's strengths include a positive culture responding to student needs, collaborative leadership promoting high expectations, and effective leadership that promotes equity and excellence for all learners.
Best suited for
Students aged 5-11 in Papatoetoe looking for a state-funded setting with a strong recent ERO trajectory.
Is Holy Cross School (Papatoetoe) a good school?
Holy Cross School (Papatoetoe) scores 81/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 25% in NZ nationally. ERO trajectory is improving across recent review cycles. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- A positive school culture that responds to students' needs, promotes their wellbeing and supports their learning success
- A culture of collaboration among leaders, teachers, parents and whānau that fosters high expectations for teaching, learning and achievement
- Effective leadership that promotes equity and excellence for all 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.
standdowns 0.0/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · top 10% of band (n=518) · why? ▼ hide
-3.8% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=515) · why? ▼ hide
86/100 from ERO review 2019-06 · top 10% of band (n=520) · why? ▼ hide
⚠ 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): 86/100.
Latest ERO review
2019-06-25 · Steve Tanner, Northern Region
- The school is achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for its students with sustained and improved high levels of achievement in literacy and mathematics
- Almost all Māori children are achieving within or beyond expected curriculum levels in reading, mathematics and writing
- Children with additional needs and their families receive high quality inclusive care with significant progress and equitable learning opportunities
- Leadership is highly effective with high, clear and equitable expectations for student learning, achievement, progress and behaviour
- The board provides strong stewardship with trustees well informed about student achievement and prioritising initiatives for wellbeing and achievement
"The school's achievement information over the last three years shows that students have sustained and improved high levels of achievement in literacy and mathematics. This information indicates that almost all children are working within or beyond expected national curriculum levels in reading, and the majority in mathematics and writing."
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2014–2019. Click a point to read that review.
Trajectory across review cycles
Year-over-year change per dimension based on consecutive ERO reviews.
Both reports affirm a broad, responsive curriculum, but emphasis shifted from highlighting 21st century learning initiatives and te reo Māori integration (2014) to emphasizing evidence-based teaching strategies and assessment practices that drive accelerated learning (2019). The 2019 report places greater focus on how teachers use assessment tools to demonstrate achievement rather than curriculum design features.
2014-11 → 2019-06 diff source
Both reports demonstrate strong equity outcomes, but the 2019 report shows explicit advancement in equity framing and inclusivity. The 2014 report focused on monitoring Pacific and Māori student achievement; the 2019 report extends this to emphasize 'equitable and excellent outcomes for all students' with explicit mention of children with additional needs receiving 'high quality inclusive care with significant progress and equitable learning opportunities.'
2014-11 → 2019-06 diff source
Achievement for Māori students improved significantly between 2014 and 2019. In 2014, 'most' Māori students were achieving at or above National Standards; by 2019, 'almost all' Māori children were achieving within or beyond expected curriculum levels across reading, mathematics and writing, with the school actively implementing accelerated learning strategies for those requiring support.
2014-11 → 2019-06 diff source
Holy Cross School demonstrated improved achievement outcomes between 2014 and 2019. The 2014 report noted that "Most students are achieving at or above National Standards" with "significant progress in writing," while the 2019 report elevated this to "almost all" students achieving "within or beyond expected curriculum levels" with "sustained and improved high levels of achievement in literacy and mathematics." The overall score increased from 85 to 88.
2014-11 → 2019-06 diff source
Both reports affirm Holy Cross School's strong promotion of student wellbeing, but the 2019 report expands focus to include equitable outcomes for all learners, particularly Māori and children with additional needs. The earlier report emphasized a 'caring and friendly culture' with 'strong pastoral care programme,' while the later report highlights 'settled, positive environments' with explicit attention to inclusive care and equity-focused wellbeing strategies.
2014-11 → 2019-06 diff source
Audited financials
Year ended 2023 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$5.36M
Surplus / (deficit)
+$119k
Net assets / equity
$2.83M
2 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.
Stand-downs · 2024
0.0
· 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.
Total Crown funding · 2022
$3.84M
Per-student funding · 2022
$6,654
2018
$3.3M
2019
$3.5M
2020
$3.8M
2021
$3.9M
2022
$3.8M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 77
- Year 02 76
- Year 03 85
- Year 04 71
- Year 05 87
- Year 06 72
- Year 07 52
- Year 08 41
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- Pacific 71.1%
- Asian 23.1%
- Māori 9.7%
- European/Pākehā 7.1%
- Other / MELAA 3.5%
Location
Carruth Road, Papatoetoe. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Holy Cross School (Papatoetoe).
Papatoetoe Central School
Contributing · 0.7km · 888 roll
85
+4 vs this
Puhinui School
Contributing · 0.9km · 796 roll
84
+3 vs this
Papatoetoe West School
Contributing · 1.1km · 725 roll
65
-16 vs this
Papatoetoe High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 1.1km · 1,728 roll
61
-20 vs this
Papatoetoe South School
Contributing · 1.2km · 606 roll
76
-5 vs this
South Auckland S D A School
Full Primary · 1.3km · 374 roll
72
-9 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Holy Cross School (Papatoetoe) a good school?
Holy Cross School (Papatoetoe) scores 81/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 25% in NZ nationally. ERO trajectory is improving across recent review cycles. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2019-06 review identified 5 key findings. The school is achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for its students with sustained and improved high levels of achievement in literacy and mathematics
How do I enrol my child at Holy Cross School (Papatoetoe)?
Contact the school directly on 09-2788224, email office@hcsp.nz, or visit www.hcsp.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?
Holy Cross School (Papatoetoe) is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Holy Cross School (Papatoetoe) has 577 students, with an EQI of 445 (mid-range socio-economic context). It is a primary co-ed/secondary girls-only school.
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Holy Cross School (Papatoetoe) in 2019-06, signed by Steve Tanner. 2 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.
Sourced from
- ero.govt.nz
- hcsp.school.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz