Last updated October 2026
Waipahihi School is a state, co-educational primary school for Years 1 to 6 at 20 Parata Street, Waipahihi, Taupo. It opened in 1961 and had 354 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes all of Two Mile Bay, Waitahanui, Wharewaka, Rainbow Point, Richmond Heights and Waipahihi, and parts of Maunganamu, Hilltop and Iwitahi; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
The school’s site describes kapa haka groups at all three levels that perform at the Tūwharetoa festival, inter-school sport and academic events, Enviro School work, and the Ironkidz children’s triathlon held the week before Ironman. It is a signatory to the code of practice for international students and takes a few international students most years.
At a glance
- Principal
- Amanda Wilson
- Address
- 20 Parata Street, Waipahihi, Taupo
- Phone
- 07 378 6455
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Richmond Heights, Rainbow Point, Wharewaka, Two Mile Bay, Waipahihi and Waitahanui.
Parts of Maunganamu, Hilltop and Iwitahi: 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 354 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.
Stand-downs and suspensions
Cases per 1,000 students in 2025, adjusted for the ages of the school’s students, compared with all New Zealand schools.
Suspensions: fewer than 5 cases in 2025, so no rate is shown.
These measure how a school responds to behaviour, and schools set their own thresholds, so they are not a measure of how students behave.
What ERO found
The Education Review Office’s latest report on the school is a School Report from August 2025. ERO found that success and progress are rising for all learners, that teaching is lifting progress in reading, writing and maths, and that students with complex needs are well supported.
Most students reach the expected level in maths and a large majority do in reading, with writing lower, and results are becoming more even across groups.
Students feel they belong and take pride in the school, leaders plan with clear goals, and structured literacy is being rolled out across the school. ERO also found the school gives its international students sound teaching and pastoral care.
ERO’s priorities for the school are to refine its learning progressions to match the revised maths curriculum, build stronger partnerships with parents, whānau and the community, especially for students at risk of not achieving, and lift regular attendance, which is behind the government target.
Read the ERO reports for Waipahihi School
Enrolling
Children who live in the home zone have the right to enrol. Out-of-zone places are offered under the enrolment scheme, by ballot when there are more applicants than places. The school says the number of out-of-zone places depends each year on its roll and classroom space, so families outside the zone are asked to contact the office.
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 Two Mile Bay
Waipahihi School is in Two Mile Bay. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Two Mile Bay guide →Questions parents ask
Is Waipahihi School zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Richmond Heights, Rainbow Point, Wharewaka, Two Mile Bay, Waipahihi and Waitahanui and parts of Maunganamu, Hilltop and Iwitahi.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 6.
How many students go there?
354 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?
451. 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, 22 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).