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Contributing · State

Knighton Normal School

Knighton Road, Hillcrest · Waikato

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Total roll 731
EQI 476
Founded 1957
46

Composite score

Developing

C

Below median

Rank #2,045 of scored NZ schools

In summary

Knighton Normal School's 2023 ERO review identified strengths in culturally responsive curriculum practices that promote student engagement, teaching programmes that respond to individual student needs with equitable opportunities, and collaborative leadership that promotes inclusivity and belonging. The school's approach celebrates cultural diversity and supports positive outcomes for students and whānau.

Best suited for

Students in Hillcrest looking for a state-funded setting.

Is Knighton Normal School a good school?

Knighton Normal School scores 46/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Below median nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.

Strengths from the latest ERO report

  • the school's curriculum, vision and values that promote culturally responsive practices and positive levels of student engagement in learning
  • teaching and learning programmes that identify and respond to the individual needs of students and prioritise equitable opportunities to learn and succeed
  • collaborative leadership that promotes inclusivity, celebrates cultural diversity, and contributes to a sense of belonging for students and their whānau

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 26.0/1k · suspensions 21.0/1k · exclusions 13.6/1k · bottom quartile of band (n=468) · 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: bottom quartile of band (n=468).
0
Trajectory
25%
+0.1% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · near band median (n=469) · why?
5-year change in total roll. −20% → 0 score, 0% → 50, +20% → 100. Source: Education Counts roll history. Year: 2025. Peer comparison: near band median (n=469).
50
ERO review
40%
83/100 from ERO review 2020-03 · top quartile of band (n=471) · 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: 2020. Peer comparison: top quartile of band (n=471).
83

⚠ 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): 83/100.

Latest ERO review

2023-12-04 · Shelley Booysen, ERO

ERO report
  • School curriculum, vision and values promote culturally responsive practices and positive student engagement
  • Teaching and learning programmes identify and respond to individual student needs with equitable opportunities
  • Collaborative leadership promotes inclusivity, celebrates cultural diversity, and contributes to sense of belonging
  • School prioritises improving literacy achievement and reducing gap between literacy and mathematics outcomes
  • Increasing rates of regular attendance is an ongoing priority for the school
"the school's curriculum, vision and values that promote culturally responsive practices and positive levels of student engagement in learning"
— ERO, 2023-12-04 (curriculum)

Composite score across reviews

2 ERO reviews on file, 2016–2020. Click a point to read that review.

latest 83
0 25 50 75 100 20162020 2016-10-31 · 75/100 2020-03-16 · 83/100

Audited financials

Year ended 2024 · Audit opinion: unmodified

Annual report

Total revenue

$7.59M

Surplus / (deficit)

+$63k

Net assets / equity

$1.21M

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

26.0

7 this year · NZ avg ~37

Suspensions · 2024

21.0

3 this year · NZ avg ~5

Exclusions · 2024

13.6

2 this year · 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

$5.01M

Per-student funding · 2022

$6,847

2018

$4.1M

2019

$4.7M

2020

$5.4M

2021

$5.5M

2022

$5.0M

Roll by year level

July 2025 roll return.

Education Counts
  • Year 01
    104
  • Year 02
    95
  • Year 03
    117
  • Year 04
    100
  • Year 05
    127
  • Year 06
    124
  • Year 07
    9
  • Year 08
    1

Roll by ethnicity

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

Education Counts
  • Māori
    37.1%
  • Asian
    36.0%
  • European/Pākehā
    24.5%
  • Pacific
    11.2%
  • Other / MELAA
    9.2%

Location

Knighton Road, Hillcrest. Nearby schools marked in grey.

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Frequently asked

Is Knighton Normal School a good school?

Knighton Normal School scores 46/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Below median nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.

What does the latest ERO review say?

ERO's 2023-12 review identified 5 key findings. School curriculum, vision and values promote culturally responsive practices and positive student engagement

How do I enrol my child at Knighton Normal School?

Contact the school directly on 07-8565399, email knighton@kns.ac.nz, or visit www.kns.ac.nz. For state schools, check your home address against the school's enrolment zone — some schools are in-zone-only.

What are the fees?

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

What is the roll size?

Knighton Normal School has 731 students, with an EQI of 476 (mid-range socio-economic context).

When was the school last reviewed by ERO?

The Education Review Office last reviewed Knighton Normal School in 2023-12, signed by Shelley Booysen. 5 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

4 cited

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Sourced from

  • ero.govt.nz
  • kns.ac.nz
  • schoolsdata.co.nz
  • crimestats.co.nz