Waikato Diocesan School For Girls
660 River Road, Hamilton · Waikato
Composite score
Strong
Top 5% in NZ
Rank #59 of scored NZ schools
In summary
An ERO review of the school's hostel in February 2023 found that boarding leaders prioritise student wellbeing and respond to student feedback, with boarding life supporting academic, cultural, and sporting endeavours. The review identified non-compliance with police vetting requirements for non-teaching staff. The school has a composite score of 65.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Hamilton looking for a state-funded setting with a strong recent ERO trajectory.
Is Waikato Diocesan School For Girls a good school?
Waikato Diocesan School For Girls scores 90/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 5% in NZ nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- Leaders prioritise wellbeing of students and respond to student feedback
- Refinement of established systems and processes to support students is ongoing
- Boarding life supports students' academic, cultural, and sporting endeavours
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.
L1 100% · L2 100% · UE 92% · top 10% of band (n=66) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 78% · Te Pūkenga 8% · Industry 0% · top 10% of band (n=64) · why? ▼ hide
97% to Y13 · top 10% of band (n=66) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 0.0/1k · suspensions 0.0/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · top 10% of band (n=536) · why? ▼ hide
+1.9% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · above band median (n=534) · why? ▼ hide
65/100 from ERO review 2023-02 · bottom 10% of band (n=539) · 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): 65/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-02-14 · Phil Cowie, Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
- Leaders of boarding give priority to the wellbeing of students in their care and respond to student feedback
- Boarding life supports students' academic, cultural, and sporting endeavours
- Non-compliance identified: police vetting for non-teaching staff not carried out every three years
- Need to carry out regular earthquake drills to fully meet regulatory expectations
- Since onsite visit, school proprietors board has addressed police vetting non-compliance
"Leaders of boarding give priority to the wellbeing of students in their care. They respond to student feedback and make changes to better meet the needs of boarders."
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2016–2023. Click a point to read that review.
Audited financials
Year ended 2022 · Audit opinion: n/a
Total revenue
$12.62M
Surplus / (deficit)
$182k
Net assets / equity
$2.94M
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
100.0%
111 of 111 leavers
0.0pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
100.0%
111 of 111 leavers
+1.7pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
91.9%
102 of 111 leavers
+5.5pt vs prior year
Data: Ministry of Education / Education Counts, CC-BY-4.0
Stay-on rate
Percentage of students who stay at school until at least their 17th birthday — the standard NZ proxy for Year-9-to-Year-13 retention.
97.3%
2024 cohort · 111 students
+4.9pt vs 2023
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
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Service Industries 15
- Creative Industries 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
$7.77M
Per-student funding · 2022
$11,258
2018
$6.7M
2019
$6.8M
2020
$7.6M
2021
$7.7M
2022
$7.8M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 09 148
- Year 10 164
- Year 11 133
- Year 12 140
- Year 13+ 110
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 83.6%
- Asian 12.8%
- Māori 8.8%
- International 2.8%
- Other / MELAA 1.3%
- Pacific 0.7%
International students
SIEBA member · Boarding available
ESOL support
partial
Years accepted
9-13
Location
660 River Road, Hamilton. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Waikato Diocesan School For Girls.
St Joseph's Catholic School (Fairfield)
Full Primary · 0.6km · 353 roll
79
-11 vs this
Woodstock School
Contributing · 0.7km · 413 roll
42
-48 vs this
Fairfield College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · 0.8km · 956 roll
42
-48 vs this
Vardon School
Contributing · 1km · 405 roll
54
-36 vs this
Forest Lake School
Contributing · 1.2km · 351 roll
54
-36 vs this
St Peter Chanel Catholic School (Te Rapa)
Full Primary · 1.3km · 314 roll
76
-14 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Waikato Diocesan School For Girls a good school?
Waikato Diocesan School For Girls scores 90/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 5% in NZ nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2023-02 review identified 5 key findings. Leaders of boarding give priority to the wellbeing of students in their care and respond to student feedback
How do I enrol my child at Waikato Diocesan School For Girls?
Contact the school directly on 07-8552038, email principal@wdsg.school.nz, or visit www.waikatodiocesan.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?
Waikato Diocesan School For Girls is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Waikato Diocesan School For Girls has 690 students, with an EQI of 391 (lower socio-economic need). It is a girls school-only school.
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Waikato Diocesan School For Girls in 2023-02, signed by Phil Cowie. 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.
Sourced from
- ero.govt.nz
- web.archive.org
- sieba.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- waikatodiocesan.school.nz
- crimestats.co.nz