Last updated October 2026
John Paul College is a state-integrated, co-educational secondary school for Years 7 to 13 at Whitworth Road, Utuhina, Rotorua. It opened in 1987 and had 1,090 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes 46 suburbs in full and parts of 1 more, among them Tumunui, Victoria, Kapenga, Hamurana, Mount Tarawera and Matipo Heights; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
As a Catholic school it teaches religious education alongside courses in dance, drama, music and visual art. Senior students can take Gateway work placements and a Futures Academy trades and technology programme run with tertiary and industry partners, and the school takes international students.
At a glance
- Principal
- Justin Harper
- Address
- Whitworth Road, Utuhina, Rotorua
- Phone
- 07 347 8795
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Lake Tarawera, Utuhina Rotorua, Fairy Springs, Victoria, Matipo Heights, Springfield Rotorua, Hillcrest Rotorua, Mangakakahi Rotorua, Western Heights Rotorua, Ngongotahā Valley, Fordlands, Lake Ōkāreka, Fenton Park Rotorua, Tihiotonga Rotorua, Holdens Bay Rotorua, Kawaha Point Rotorua, Pomare Rotorua, Glenholme Rotorua, Rotorua Central, Mount Tarawera, Ohinemutu, Waikite Valley, Sunnybrook Rotorua, Hannahs Bay Rotorua, Selwyn Heights Rotorua, Ngapuna Rotorua, Lynmore Rotorua, Koutu Rotorua, Tumunui, Lake Ōkataina, Pukehangi Rotorua, Ngongotahā Rotorua, Whakarewarewa, Waiotapu, Kapenga, Ngakuru Rotorua, Tikitere Rotorua, Mourea Rotorua, Ōwhata Rotorua, Mamaku Rotorua, Reporoa, Hamurana, Horohoro, Rerewhakaaitu, Lake Rotomā Rotorua and Okere Falls Rotorua.
Parts of Kaingaroa Forest: check your street.
Zone boundaries are set by the school’s enrolment scheme and can change. Confirm your address with the school before you rely on it.
NCEA results
School leavers with NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with all New Zealand school leavers.
This school New Zealand
School leavers are students who left school that year, whatever year level they left from.
Who goes here
Share of the 1,090 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
25 international students
MELAA: Middle Eastern, Latin American and African.
Stand-downs and suspensions
Cases per 1,000 students in 2025, adjusted for the ages of the school’s students, compared with all New Zealand schools.
Suspensions: fewer than 5 cases in 2025, so no rate is shown.
These measure how a school responds to behaviour, and schools set their own thresholds, so they are not a measure of how students behave.
What ERO found
The Education Review Office’s latest report on the school is a School Evaluation Report from September 2024. ERO found results were mostly strong and equitable: almost all students gain NCEA at Levels 1 to 3, many with Merit and Excellence endorsements, and a large majority gain University Entrance, with the gap for Māori students narrowing. It noted calm classrooms built on clear routines and respectful relationships, a broad curriculum with many academic and co-curricular pathways, and more tangata whenua representation on the board and in leadership.
Attendance is the main concern, with just over half of students attending regularly, below the Ministry of Education target. ERO’s next steps are to lift attendance, build teachers’ confidence in weaving te ao Māori and mātauranga Māori into lessons, make assessment in Years 7 to 10 more consistent, and grow leadership across the school.
Read the ERO reports for John Paul College
Enrolling
John Paul College is a state-integrated Catholic school, and its enrolment page asks families to read about its Catholic character before applying. Applicants need a preference card from St Mary’s Parish and a signed Catholic Diocese of Hamilton enrolment contract, and the school lists the Diocese’s attendance dues on its school fees page.
The school also has a home zone, and any out-of-zone places are offered under its enrolment scheme, by ballot when there are more applicants than places. The enrolment page sets out the criteria and timeline, and applications are made through an online form.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Schools nearby
In Utuhina Rotorua
John Paul College is in Utuhina Rotorua. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Utuhina Rotorua guide →Questions parents ask
Is John Paul College zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Lake Tarawera, Utuhina Rotorua, Fairy Springs, Victoria, Matipo Heights, Springfield Rotorua, Hillcrest Rotorua, Mangakakahi Rotorua, Western Heights Rotorua, Ngongotahā Valley, Fordlands, Lake Ōkāreka, Fenton Park Rotorua, Tihiotonga Rotorua, Holdens Bay Rotorua, Kawaha Point Rotorua, Pomare Rotorua, Glenholme Rotorua, Rotorua Central, Mount Tarawera, Ohinemutu, Waikite Valley, Sunnybrook Rotorua, Hannahs Bay Rotorua, Selwyn Heights Rotorua, Ngapuna Rotorua, Lynmore Rotorua, Koutu Rotorua, Tumunui, Lake Ōkataina, Pukehangi Rotorua, Ngongotahā Rotorua, Whakarewarewa, Waiotapu, Kapenga, Ngakuru Rotorua, Tikitere Rotorua, Mourea Rotorua, Ōwhata Rotorua, Mamaku Rotorua, Reporoa, Hamurana, Horohoro, Rerewhakaaitu, Lake Rotomā Rotorua and Okere Falls Rotorua and parts of Kaingaroa Forest.
What years does it teach?
Years 7 to 13.
How many students go there?
1,090 at 1 Sep 2026.
Does it ask for donations?
It may. It is not in the donation scheme, so it can ask families for donations.
What is its Equity Index?
415. The Ministry of Education’s Equity Index estimates the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, from 344 (fewest) to 569 (most). It is used to share out funding, not as a measure of quality.
How did its school leavers do in NCEA?
In 2025, 92.4% of its school leavers had NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with 77.8% of all New Zealand school leavers.
School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 22 Oct 2026 (CC BY 4.0). Home zone: Ministry of Education enrolment zones (CC BY 4.0). NCEA results, roll history and stand-downs: Education Counts, school leavers 2023 to 2025, stand-downs 2025, rolls 2021 to 2025 (CC BY 4.0). Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.