Last updated November 2026
Whakarewarewa School is a state, co-educational full primary school for Years 1 to 8 at 63 Sala Street, Whakarewarewa, Rotorua. It opened in 1902 and had 127 students on its roll at 1 October 2026.
It has no home zone, so any student can apply.
At a glance
- Principal
- Boxer Smith
- Address
- 63 Sala Street, Whakarewarewa, Rotorua
- Phone
- 07 348 3865
Home zone
No home zone: any student can apply to enrol. If more students apply than there are places, the school decides how places are offered.
Who goes here
Share of the 127 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
MELAA: Middle Eastern, Latin American and African.
What ERO found
The Education Review Office’s latest report on the school is a School Report from January 2026. ERO described a school offering both English-medium classes and a Māori immersion unit, Te Whānau Rumaki, with a local curriculum drawn from the people, places and history of Tūhourangi.
A large majority of students start school well behind expected levels, and the school is focused on speeding up their progress.
In English medium, a small majority meet or exceed expected levels in reading and maths and a large majority in writing, with equitable results across groups.
In the rumaki, less than a third of ākonga meet expected levels in pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau, largely because most arrive with little te reo Māori, and the school is consulting its community on entry criteria. Less than half of students attend regularly, though chronic absence is falling.
ERO raised concerns about the quality of education and recommended that the Ministry of Education support the board with its governance duties, especially health and safety, and help lift achievement in the rumaki.
The board had not yet addressed several areas of non-compliance, including stand-down and suspension procedures, fire drills, student safety and bullying prevention, trip risk management, complaints handling and staff safety checks.
The agreed priorities are to raise regular attendance, make better use of data in planning, extend students working at or above expected levels, and strengthen teaching and assessment in the rumaki.
Enrolling
The school has no home zone or enrolment scheme, so any student can apply to enrol. Families can contact the school directly to ask how enrolment works.
Schools nearby
Where students go next
Based on home zones around the school’s own address. Families can apply to any school, and your own address decides which zones you are in.
In Whakarewarewa
Whakarewarewa School is in Whakarewarewa. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
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Questions parents ask
Is Whakarewarewa School zoned?
No. It has no home zone, so any student can apply to enrol.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 8.
How many students go there?
127 at 1 Oct 2026.
Does it ask for donations?
No. It is in the donation scheme, so it only asks for donations for school camps.
What is its Equity Index?
557. 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.
Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Sources and data notes 1
- School facts: School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 11 Nov 2026 (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).