Key facts
- School number3567
- School typeFull Primary · Years 1–8
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established26 January 1904
About Waihao Downs School
Waihao Downs School is a rural, zoned state school in New Zealand. The school describes its vision as "A Rural School Growing Futures, Nurturing Life Long Learners," with a stated focus on supporting students to be confident, curious, conscientious, considerate, and effective communicators.
The school's stated strategic goals centre on personal and academic achievement, literacy and numeracy, and developing students as lifelong learners. Partnership with families and building community spirit are identified as school priorities.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
With an Equity Index of 442, Waihao Downs School is in the range eligible to opt into the Ministry's donations scheme — receiving additional government funding per student in exchange for not seeking donations (except for overnight camps).
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 Waihao Downs 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 Waihao Downs School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 67 students (88.2%)
- Asian — 8 students (10.5%)
- Māori — 6 students (7.9%)
- MELAA — 3 students (3.9%)
- Other — 1 students (1.3%)
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.
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Waimate High School Secondary · Years 7–15 · 11.2 km
Location
- Street address1139 Hakataramea Highway
- SuburbWaihao Downs
- CityWaimate
- Local authorityWaimate District
Official contact details
- ContactMadelene Field
- Phone+64 3 689 2734
- Emailoffice@waihaodowns.school.nz
- Websitewww.waihaodowns.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Waihao Downs School, regardless of year level.
-
Waimate High School Secondary · Years 7–15 · 11.2 km
-
Waituna Creek School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 12.1 km
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Duntroon School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 20.3 km
-
Papakaio School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 22.5 km
-
Ardgowan School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 30.2 km
Explore schools in Waimate
Browse Waimate schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Enrolment
Waihao Downs School operates an enrolment scheme to manage roll numbers. The school's enrolment zone map is available on request from the school office.
Children living within the zone may enrol at any time. Children living outside the zone may only enrol if places are available; the number of out-of-zone vacancies is advertised each Term 3. If out-of-zone applications exceed available places, a ballot is held.
Before enrolment, the school offers preschool visits for children approaching school age — typically three to five full or half days before the child turns five. New entrants may be enrolled before their fifth birthday but cannot legally attend until that date.
A parent or caregiver must present a Certificate of Birth before a child can be enrolled. Upon enrolment, families receive a pack containing the following documents:
- Enrolment form
- Parental consent form
- Cyber safety agreement
- Ready to learn at Waihao Downs
- Parent information booklet
- Behaviour management booklet
- Waihao Downs School bus protocol
- Bus transport code of conduct
Enrolment enquiries can be directed to the school by phone on 03 689 2734 or by email at office@waihaodowns.school.nz. A provisional enrolment form is also available online.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Waihao Downs 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 Waihao Downs 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) | Waihao Downs School's official website | Current | 16 October 2026 |