Last updated October 2026
Ngongotahā School is a state, co-educational primary school for Years 1 to 6 at 22 School Road, Ngongotaha, Rotorua. It opened in 1911 and had 392 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes all of Ngongotahā, and parts of Hamurana, Ngongotahā Valley and Fairy Springs; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
Alongside its English-medium classes it runs Rumaki, a Māori immersion programme, and teaches all students about their local area, history, traditions and language. Its website lists a heated swimming pool, a whare wānanga, a library and a nature walk, and literacy and numeracy support from teacher aides funded by the Ngāti Whakaue Education Endowment Trust Board.
At a glance
- Principal
- Eden Chapman
- Address
- 22 School Road, Ngongotaha, Rotorua
- Phone
- 07 357 4531
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Ngongotahā Rotorua.
Parts of Hamurana, Ngongotahā Valley and Fairy Springs: 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.
Who goes here
Share of the 392 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 Evaluation Report from August 2024. ERO found that outcomes are becoming more equitable, with a majority of learners at or above curriculum expectations in literacy, though maths results are lower and gaps remain for some groups.
A structured approach to literacy has improved results and teaching, especially writing in the junior school, and learning draws on a culturally connected local curriculum and support from Ngāti Whakaue. In the rumaki classes, tamariki learn the cultural narratives of Ngongotahā and Te Arawa in a caring setting built around the learner.
A majority of learners attend school regularly. ERO’s next steps are to make literacy and maths teaching more consistent, set up shared ways to check the impact of teaching, strengthen te reo Māori programmes for tamariki who are behind, keep improving attendance, and build a transition programme with kōhanga reo and kura for families choosing a Māori-medium pathway.
Read the ERO reports for Ngongotahā School
Enrolling
Students who live in the home zone have the right to enrol. Out-of-zone places are offered under the school’s enrolment scheme, by ballot when there are more applicants than places. The scheme gives first priority to students accepted into the Rumaki programme, with criteria such as having attended kōhanga reo or rumaki classes at a previous school.
The enrolment scheme says the board advertises its out-of-zone places each year by notice in a local newspaper. Families can enrol online through a link on the school’s website.
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 Ngongotahā Rotorua
Ngongotahā School is in Ngongotahā Rotorua. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Ngongotahā Rotorua guide →Questions parents ask
Is Ngongotahā School zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Ngongotahā Rotorua and parts of Hamurana, Ngongotahā Valley and Fairy Springs.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 6.
How many students go there?
392 at 1 Sep 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?
486. 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, 24 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).