Key facts
- School number2677
- School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
- AuthorityState : Integrated
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established1 February 1889
About St Joseph's School (Hastings)
St Joseph's School Hastings is a Catholic full primary school located at 404 Eastbourne Street East, Hastings, catering for students from New Entrant to Year 8. It was established in 1889 by the Sisters of St Joseph of Nazareth, who remain part of the school community. The school's principal is Kara-Leigh Jones.
As of 2025, the school roll exceeded 300 students across 25 staff members, drawn from 16 different ethnicities. The school has ties to three local parishes: Sacred Heart Church, St Peter Chanel, and Our Lady of Lourdes.
Catholic character is central to the school's operation. All students participate in daily prayer and weekly liturgy or Mass. A school-wide Religious Education programme is taught across all year levels, and behaviour management is based on restorative practices. The school's motto is Deo Duce (Let God be our Leader), and its vision is stated as Learning to Love. A Love of Learning.
The school is organised into four houses — Bethlehem, Galilee, Jerusalem, and Nazareth — with house points awarded across curriculum, sport, and values-based activities. Senior students have access to leadership roles including Head Boy and Head Girl positions, and a Mary MacKillop award programme. Year 8 students participate in an annual retreat and leavers dinner.
On-site facilities include a 23-metre swimming pool used daily during summer terms, and an after-school care programme operating from 3.00pm to 5.00pm, accredited through the Ministry of Social Development as an OSCAR programme.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
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 St Joseph's School (Hastings) 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 St Joseph's School (Hastings)'s own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 104 students (38%)
- Asian — 142 students (51.8%)
- Pacific — 21 students (7.7%)
- Māori — 41 students (15%)
- MELAA — 11 students (4%)
- Other — 1 students (0.4%)
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.
-
Hastings Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 752 m
-
Heretaunga Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 2.8 km
-
Havelock North Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 4.4 km
Location
- Street address404 Eastbourne Street East
- SuburbAkina
- CityHastings
- Local authorityHastings District
Official contact details
- ContactKara-Leigh Jones
- Phone+64 6 878 7262
- Emailoffice@stjos.school.nz
- Websitewww.stjos.school.nz/
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to St Joseph's School (Hastings), regardless of year level.
-
Kōwhai School Specialist School · 412 m
-
Hastings Central School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 431 m
-
Hastings Intermediate Intermediate · Years 7–8 · 752 m
-
Hastings Christian School Composite · Years 1–15 · 1.4 km
-
Mayfair School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 1.5 km
Explore schools in Hastings
Browse Hastings schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Enrolment
St Joseph's School operates a preference enrolment scheme in consultation with the Diocese of Palmerston North and the Ministry of Education. Places are allocated in two categories:
- Preference students — those who can establish a connection with the Catholic Church, accounting for 95% of enrolments. Applicants must arrange a meeting with the Catholic Parish of Hastings Office (06 878 7774) and obtain a preference certificate signed by a priest.
- Non-preference students — those without a Catholic connection, limited to 17 places (5% of the roll). This allocation is currently full.
The school uses cohort entry, meaning new entrants start in groups on set dates rather than individually on their fifth birthday. There are eight start dates across the year, two per term. Children may begin on any date after turning five and must start by age six. The 2026 cohort start dates are:
- Term 1 — 9 February or 9 March
- Term 2 — 20 April or 1 June
- Term 3 — 20 July or 24 August
- Term 4 — 12 October or 16 November
Required documents
For children starting school for the first time, families must bring:
- Birth certificate or proof of date of birth
- Immunisation record from birth to age five
- For children not born in New Zealand: passports for the child and both parents, plus current visas
- For children born in New Zealand where both parents are not residents: relevant visas
- For children born in Australia: a passport
Children transferring from another school should bring details of the previous school attended, workbooks, and their most recent school report. St Joseph's will contact the previous school to arrange transfer of records. Families enrolling from overseas should contact the school to arrange an appointment with the Principal and bring passports and visas for both parents and the child.
Pre-entry visits
The school offers a pre-entry programme for children about to start. Over three to four weeks before their start date, children are invited to attend on pre-arranged mornings from 8.40am to 11.00am, covering core subjects, playtime, and social skill activities. Pre-enrolment visits for new entrants currently take place on Tuesdays from 8.50am to 11.00am and are coordinated by Mrs Alison Clarke, Junior Team Leader.
Co-curricular Activities and Sports Teams
St Joseph's School fields named teams across cricket, basketball, and volleyball, competing in Hawke's Bay regional competitions.
Cricket teams (Year 3/4 to Year 5/6):
- St Joseph's Aces — Year 3/4, cricket
- St Joseph's Volts — Year 3/4, cricket
- St Joseph's Firebirds — Year 5/6, cricket
Basketball teams (Year 1/2 to Year 7/8), competing at the Hastings Sports Centre:
- St Joseph's Piwakawaka — Year 1/2
- St Joseph's Titipounamu — Year 1/2
- St Joseph's Karure — Year 1/2
- St Joseph's Karearea — Year 5/6
- St Joseph's Kereru — Year 3/4
- St Joseph's Tauhou — Year 3/4
- St Joseph's Tui — Year 3/4
- St Joseph's Keas — Year 3/4
- St Joseph's Ruru — Year 3/4
- St Joseph's Takahe — Year 7/8
- St Joseph's Toroa — Year 7/8
Volleyball teams (Year 5/6 to Year 7/8), competing at the Hastings Sports Centre:
- St Joseph's Fury — Year 7/8
- St Joseph's Ignite — Year 7/8
- St Joseph's Supernovas — Year 5/6
- St Joseph's Valkyries — Year 5/6
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from St Joseph's School (Hastings)'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 St Joseph's School (Hastings)'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) | St Joseph's School (Hastings)'s official website | Current | 8 October 2026 |