Skip to content
s schoolsnearme.co.nz
Contributing · State

Western Heights Primary School (Rotorua)

197 Clayton Road, Western Heights · Bay of Plenty

See all schools in Western Heights →

Total roll 439
EQI 536
Founded 1958
45

Composite score

Developing

C

Below median

Rank #2,073 of scored NZ schools

Best suited for

Students in Western Heights looking for a state-funded setting.

Is Western Heights Primary School (Rotorua) a good school?

Western Heights Primary School (Rotorua) scores 45/100 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

  • A culture of collaboration between trustees, leaders and teachers that builds collective capacity to improve educational outcomes
  • An holistic approach to student wellbeing that actively creates an inclusive environment for learning
  • Productive partnerships for learning with trustees, parents, whānau and community that provide equitable opportunities for all children

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 95.8/1k · suspensions 22.2/1k · exclusions 0.0/1k · bottom quartile of band (n=539) · 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=539).
0
Trajectory
25%
-7.0% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · below band median (n=524) · why?
5-year change in total roll. −20% → 0 score, 0% → 50, +20% → 100. Source: Education Counts roll history. Year: 2025. Peer comparison: below band median (n=524).
41
ERO review
40%
86/100 from ERO review 2019-03 · top 10% of band (n=544) · 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: 2019. Peer comparison: top 10% of band (n=544).
86

⚠ 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

2019-03-26 · Phillip Cowie, Central Region

ERO report
  • In 2018 most students were achieving at or above expected curriculum levels in reading writing and mathematics
  • Māori outperform Pākehā in reading; Māori and Pākehā achieving at comparable rates in writing and mathematics
  • The school is highly effective in accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this, through systematic identification and tracking
  • Teachers are highly responsive to all children and whānau, actively promoting a strong sense of aroha and turangawaewae
  • A highly supportive, caring and inclusive culture with specific focus on hauora effectively supports children to be ready to learn
"In 2018 most students were achieving at or above expected curriculum levels in reading writing and mathematics. Māori and Pākehā are achieving at comparable rates in writing and mathematics. Māori outperform Pākehā in reading."
— ERO, 2019-03-26 (achievement)

Composite score across reviews

2 ERO reviews on file, 2014–2019. Click a point to read that review.

latest 86
0 25 50 75 100 20142019 2014-06-11 · 88/100 2019-03-26 · 86/100

Audited financials

Year ended 2022 · Audit opinion: unmodified

Annual report

Total revenue

$4.11M

Surplus / (deficit)

$91k

Net assets / equity

$1.67M

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

95.8

16 this year · NZ avg ~37

Suspensions · 2024

22.2

2 this year · 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

$3.40M

Per-student funding · 2022

$7,735

2018

$2.7M

2019

$3.0M

2020

$3.9M

2021

$3.4M

2022

$3.4M

Roll by year level

July 2025 roll return.

Education Counts
  • Year 01
    76
  • Year 02
    73
  • Year 03
    69
  • Year 04
    54
  • Year 05
    64
  • Year 06
    61
  • Year 07
    12

Roll by ethnicity

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

Education Counts
  • Māori
    76.8%
  • European/Pākehā
    28.7%
  • Pacific
    18.9%
  • Asian
    4.8%
  • Other / MELAA
    1.8%

Location

197 Clayton Road, Western Heights. Nearby schools marked in grey.

Open in Google Maps →

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO

Loading Western Heights context…

Frequently asked

Is Western Heights Primary School (Rotorua) a good school?

Western Heights Primary School (Rotorua) scores 45/100 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 2019-03 review identified 6 key findings. In 2018 most students were achieving at or above expected curriculum levels in reading writing and mathematics

How do I enrol my child at Western Heights Primary School (Rotorua)?

Contact the school directly on 07-3488459, email whpadmin@whp.school.nz, or visit whp.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?

Western Heights Primary School (Rotorua) is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.

What is the roll size?

Western Heights Primary School (Rotorua) has 439 students, with an EQI of 536 (higher socio-economic need).

When was the school last reviewed by ERO?

The Education Review Office last reviewed Western Heights Primary School (Rotorua) in 2019-03, signed by Phillip Cowie. 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.

Last updated

31 Dec 2022

Source documents

4 cited

Spot an error?

Report a correction

Sourced from

  • ero.govt.nz
  • web.archive.org
  • schoolsdata.co.nz
  • crimestats.co.nz