Key facts
- School number2880
- School typeContributing · Years 1–6
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established26 January 1884
About Kilbirnie School
Kilbirnie School is a primary school located in Kilbirnie, Wellington, New Zealand. The school's principal is Tony Austin, who can be contacted at tony@kilbirnie.school.nz or (04) 939 2311.
The school states a focus on literacy and numeracy alongside a broader view of student achievement that recognises a range of strengths. It has developed a graduate profile in consultation with students, parents, whānau, and staff, which sets out its aspirations for students leaving the school.
Kilbirnie School is governed by a Board of Trustees whose primary objectives, under the Education Act 2020, include ensuring equitable outcomes for Māori students, giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and maintaining a physically and emotionally safe environment for all students and staff. The school's curriculum and management are the responsibility of the principal and teaching staff.
Enrolment
Enrolment scheme on recordKilbirnie School has an enrolment scheme (a home zone) on record. Living inside it guarantees a place; living outside it does not, though out-of-zone applications may still be considered.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations may be requested".
With an Equity Index of 377, Kilbirnie School is below the 432 threshold newly required to opt into the donations scheme, though a school already receiving this funding from an earlier year may continue to do so. Outside the scheme, a school can still ask families for donations, but cannot compel or enforce payment.
Check directly with the school for current charges, contributions or other costs. Learn more on the donations scheme or fees and charges at school, both on education.govt.nz.
Equity Index
The Ministry publishes this figure as a bare number — KuraData shows it against the directory-wide average, so you can see where Kilbirnie School actually sits, not just the number on its own.
The Equity Index estimates the socio-economic barriers students face, on average, and is used to inform government funding and support. It is not a measure of school quality or academic performance.
Higher values indicate a higher level of estimated socio-economic barriers; lower values indicate fewer. Learn how the Equity Index is calculated →
Student ethnicity
The Ministry publishes this as a raw table — here it's visualised directly against Kilbirnie School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 150 students (70.4%)
- Asian — 40 students (18.8%)
- Pacific — 10 students (4.7%)
- Māori — 17 students (8%)
- MELAA — 9 students (4.2%)
Percentages may sum to more than 100% because students can identify with more than one ethnic group.
Education pathway
Nearby schools serving the next or previous year levels are shown as potential pathway options. They do not indicate formal enrolment pathways or actual student transfers.
-
Evans Bay Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 800 m
-
South Wellington Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 1.5 km
-
Tawa Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 16.4 km
-
Wainuiomata High School Secondary · Years 9–15 · 13.5 km
Location
- Street address72 Hamilton Road
- SuburbHataitai
- CityWellington
- Local authorityWellington City
Official contact details
- ContactTony Austin
- Phone+64 4 939 2311
- Emailoffice@kilbirnie.school.nz
- Websitewww.kilbirnie.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Kilbirnie School, regardless of year level.
-
Evans Bay Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 800 m
-
Newtown School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 1.2 km
-
Hataitai School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 1.3 km
-
St Mark's Church School (Mt Victoria) Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 1.3 km
-
South Wellington Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 1.5 km
Explore schools in Wellington
Browse Wellington schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Sports and Physical Activities
Kilbirnie School offers the following named sports and physical activities:
- Football
- Floorball
- Tennis
- Rugby
- Badminton
- Cricket
- Mini polo
- Miniball
- Touch rugby
- Gymnastics — taught at Akau Tangi Sports Centre
- Pickleball — taught at Akau Tangi Sports Centre
- Ultimate frisbee — taught at Akau Tangi Sports Centre
- Swimming lessons — held at the school pool for Years 0–3; Years 4–6 attend lessons at WRAC
- Athletics competition — annual; Years 4–6 may progress to Eastern Zone events
- Cross country competition — annual; Years 4–6 may progress to Eastern Zone events
- Swimming competition — annual; Years 4–6 may progress to Eastern Zone events
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Kilbirnie School's own official Ministry of Education data already shown on this page, so what you read here always matches the figures above.
Sources & methodology
Every fact on this page traces back to one of the rows below — official Ministry of Education data, or Kilbirnie School's own published information, reviewed before publication. Nothing here is inferred or estimated beyond what its source actually states.
| Data | Source | Data period | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| School characteristics | Ministry of Education | — | 15 October 2026 |
| Student roll | Ministry of Education / Education Counts | September 2026 | 15 October 2026 |
| Equity Index | Education Counts | — | 15 October 2026 |
| Address & coordinates | Ministry of Education | — | 15 October 2026 |
| Contact details | NZ Schools Directory | Current | 15 October 2026 |
| School information (AI-curated, human-reviewed) | Kilbirnie School's official website | Current | 8 October 2026 |