Last updated October 2026
Hamilton Girls’ High School is a state, girls’ secondary school for Years 9 to 13 at Ward Street, Hamilton. It opened in 1911 and had 1,783 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes all of Claudelands and Hamilton Central, and parts of Hamilton Lake, Hamilton East, Enderley, Ruakura, Whitiora and Frankton; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
The school’s site describes the Ignite extension programme, Cambridge IGCSE courses in Years 10 and 11, learning support and English language programmes, Whānau Māori classes, te reo Māori and Te Ao Haka, and the school marae, Te Ao Mārama. Boarders live at Sonninghill Hostel, and international students stay with homestay families or at the hostel.
At a glance
- Principal
- Marie Gordon
- Address
- Ward Street, Hamilton
- Phone
- 07 839 1304
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Hamilton Central and Claudelands Hamilton.
Parts of Hamilton Lake, Hamilton East, Enderley Hamilton, Ruakura, Whitiora Hamilton and Frankton Hamilton: 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.
NCEA results
School leavers with NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with all New Zealand school leavers.
This school New Zealand
School leavers are students who left school that year, whatever year level they left from.
Who goes here
Share of the 1,783 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
30 international students
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 Evaluation Report from July 2024. ERO found that most students are engaged and achieve well.
Almost all meet the NCEA literacy and numeracy requirements, most gain Level 2, and a majority gain Level 1, Level 3 and University Entrance, while a majority of Year 9 and 10 students make better than expected progress in maths and reading.
Māori and Pacific students’ results continue to improve and the gaps are narrowing. ERO also noted evidence-based leadership, responsive teaching, well-supported students with additional needs, a well-sequenced curriculum, and te ao and mātauranga Māori increasingly woven through learning.
Attendance is part of the school’s strategic plan, with three-quarters of students attending more than 80% of the time. The next steps are to refine mentoring for Māori and Pacific students so gaps in attendance and results keep closing, build the partnership with mana whenua to shape the local curriculum, and keep strengthening how the school reviews the impact of its work.
Read the ERO reports for Hamilton Girls’ High School
Enrolling
Students who live in the home zone have the right to enrol, with proof of residence. Out-of-zone places are offered under the school’s enrolment scheme, by ballot when there are more applicants than places. The school publishes its enrolment and Year 9 ballot dates on its enrolment page each year.
Applications are made online, with documents uploaded during the process, and the enrolment page sets out the zone boundary, the out-of-zone priority groups and a link to the zone map and street list. Boarding at Sonninghill Hostel has its own application.
Schools nearby
In Hamilton Lake
Hamilton Girls' High School is in Hamilton Lake. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Hamilton Lake guide →Questions parents ask
Is Hamilton Girls' High School zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Hamilton Central and Claudelands Hamilton and parts of Hamilton Lake, Hamilton East, Enderley Hamilton, Ruakura, Whitiora Hamilton and Frankton Hamilton.
What years does it teach?
Years 9 to 13.
How many students go there?
1,783 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?
463. 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.
Is it a single-sex school?
Yes. It takes girls only.
How did its school leavers do in NCEA?
In 2025, 89.5% of its school leavers had NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with 77.8% of all New Zealand school leavers.
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). Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.