St Michael's Catholic School (Rotorua)
Lisa Crescent, Western Heights · Bay of Plenty
See all schools in Western Heights →
Composite score
Established
Below median
Rank #1,471 of scored NZ schools
In summary
St Michael's Catholic School is a small state integrated school serving Years 1-6 with a focus on Catholic character, Mercy Charism, cultural diversity and family values. ERO noted the school's valued connections with kaumatua, whānau and the parish community, alongside its commitment to a caring, inclusive environment and collaborative staff focused on improving learner outcomes. The school and ERO are working together to evaluate how well all learners are spiritually and culturally empowered to achieve personal success.
Best suited for
Students in Western Heights looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is St Michael's Catholic School (Rotorua) a good school?
St Michael's Catholic School (Rotorua) scores 63/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Below median nationally. ERO trajectory has declined across recent review cycles. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- Valued connections and relationships with kaumatua, whānau, priests and the St Michael's Parish
- School-wide priority to provide a caring and inclusive environment where learners are encouraged to be the best they can be, empowered through the Catholic faith
- Collaborative and committed staff who are focused on improving outcomes 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
-13.6% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · bottom quartile of band (n=515) · why? ▼ hide
49/100 from ERO review 2018-10 · bottom 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): 49/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-04-04 · Phil Cowie, Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
- St Michael's Catholic School is a small state integrated school in Rotorua serving Years 1-6, prioritising Catholic character, Mercy Charism, cultural diversity and family values
- ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well all learners are spiritually and culturally empowered to achieve personal success
- The school's strategic priorities include meaningful encounters with Christ, learner choice and agency, equitable opportunity across curriculum, and enhanced teaching capabilities
- School strengths include valued connections with kaumatua, whānau and parish; a caring and inclusive environment; collaborative staff; and an established pedagogical network
"Collaborative and committed staff who are focused on improving outcomes for all learners."
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2015–2018. Click a point to read that review.
Trajectory across review cycles
Year-over-year change per dimension based on consecutive ERO reviews.
St Michael's Catholic School experienced a significant deterioration in achievement outcomes for Māori students between 2015 and 2018. The 2015 report highlighted that the school 'effectively promotes educational success for Māori as Māori' with strong iwi partnerships and integrated cultural values, while the 2018 report identified a 'Significant and ongoing disparity for Māori students in reading, writing and mathematics' and noted the school was 'unable to show accelerated progress for Māori and other identified at-risk learners,' with non-compliance in Māori community consultation.
2015-03 → 2018-10 diff source
Equity outcomes for Māori students deteriorated significantly between 2015 and 2018. The 2015 report highlighted the school's effective promotion of educational success for Māori with well-integrated cultural values, while the 2018 report identified a "Significant and ongoing disparity for Māori students in reading, writing and mathematics" and noted the school was "unable to show accelerated progress for Māori and other identified at-risk learners."
2015-03 → 2018-10 diff source
The curriculum dimension shifted significantly from a strength to an area of concern. In 2015, the school had a well-integrated, connected curriculum with strong alignment to NZ Curriculum and effective promotion of Māori cultural beliefs. By 2018, while teachers still engaged students in meaningful learning contexts, leadership for learning needed strengthening in curriculum review and shared expectations, and the school faced significant achievement disparities for Māori students that it was unable to address through accelerated progress.
2015-03 → 2018-10 diff source
Leadership for learning declined significantly between 2015 and 2018. The 2015 report praised the principal's 'strong professional leadership' with a 'collaborative approach,' but the 2018 report identified that 'Leadership for learning needs strengthening in curriculum review, shared expectations about teaching and learning, and appraisal processes.' The school's overall rating dropped from 'well placed' (85) to 'developing' (35).
2015-03 → 2018-10 diff source
Achievement overall declined significantly between 2015 and 2018. While the 2015 report noted students achieving well with a significant majority at or above National Standards, the 2018 report identified a critical gap: most students still achieve at or above expectations, but a 'significant and ongoing disparity for Māori students' emerged, and the school demonstrated inability to show 'accelerated progress for Māori and other identified at-risk learners.' The score dropped from 82 to 65.
2015-03 → 2018-10 diff source
Audited financials
Year ended 2021 · Audit opinion: n/a
Total revenue
$1.24M
Surplus / (deficit)
$0k
Net assets / equity
$0.17M
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
$0.84M
Per-student funding · 2022
$8,242
2018
$0.9M
2019
$1.0M
2020
$1.0M
2021
$0.9M
2022
$0.8M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 14
- Year 02 19
- Year 03 11
- Year 04 17
- Year 05 23
- Year 06 17
- Year 07 1
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 48.0%
- Māori 40.2%
- Asian 33.3%
- Other / MELAA 6.9%
- Pacific 5.9%
Location
Lisa Crescent, Western Heights. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with St Michael's Catholic School (Rotorua).
Western Heights Primary School (Rotorua)
Contributing · 0.6km · 439 roll
45
-18 vs this
Kaitao Intermediate
Intermediate · 0.7km · 270 roll
26
-37 vs this
Sunset Primary School
Contributing · 0.9km · 158 roll
44
-19 vs this
TKKM o Hurungaterangi
Composite · 0.9km · 91 roll
88
+25 vs this
Aorangi School (Rotorua)
Contributing · 1km · 119 roll
49
-14 vs this
Western Heights High School
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 1.3km · 1,120 roll
56
-7 vs this
Frequently asked
Is St Michael's Catholic School (Rotorua) a good school?
St Michael's Catholic School (Rotorua) scores 63/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Below median nationally. ERO trajectory has declined across recent review cycles. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2023-04 review identified 4 key findings. St Michael's Catholic School is a small state integrated school in Rotorua serving Years 1-6, prioritising Catholic character, Mercy Charism, cultural diversity and family values
How do I enrol my child at St Michael's Catholic School (Rotorua)?
Contact the school directly on 07-3481362, email admin@stmichaelsrotorua.school.nz, or visit www.stmichaelsrotorua.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?
St Michael's Catholic School (Rotorua) is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
St Michael's Catholic School (Rotorua) has 102 students, with an EQI of 444 (mid-range socio-economic context).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed St Michael's Catholic School (Rotorua) in 2023-04, signed by Phil Cowie. 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.
Sourced from
- ero.govt.nz
- web.archive.org
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz