Last updated November 2026
Hamilton West School is a state, co-educational full primary school for Years 1 to 8 at 36 Hammond Street, Hamilton West, Hamilton. It opened in 1863 and had 711 students on its roll at 1 October 2026.
Its home zone includes all of Hamilton Lake, and parts of Hamilton Central, Melville and Frankton; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
The school’s site describes a two-year inquiry cycle across the curriculum, a gifted and talented programme, ESOL support in class and in small groups, and devices supplied by the school, along with camps for Years 5 to 8 and a trip to Samoa every second year. The YMCA runs before and after school care in the school hall.
At a glance
- Principal
- Richelle Jones
- Address
- 36 Hammond Street, Hamilton West, Hamilton
- Phone
- 07-839 4911
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Hamilton Lake.
Parts of Hamilton Central, Melville 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.
Who goes here
Share of the 711 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.
What ERO found
The Education Review Office’s latest report on the school is a School Report from May 2026. ERO found the school had built leadership across its staff through curriculum teams and coaching, and had grown its use of te reo Māori, tikanga and te ao Māori in the curriculum.
Teaching is of good quality, students with complex needs are well supported, and a large majority of students reach the expected level in reading and mathematics, though only a small majority do so in writing and results are not yet even across groups.
ERO noted strong pastoral care, a strong sense of belonging, a structured approach to literacy and mathematics, and a new technology programme that keeps Year 7 and 8 students engaged.
Attendance is a concern: a large majority of students attend regularly, but the school is behind the 80% target, regular attendance is not yet improving and chronic absence is not yet falling.
The priorities are to lift attendance, make better use of achievement data to target support, and raise achievement and equity, with a particular focus on writing. ERO also found that police vetting of non-teaching staff had not been renewed every three years as required, and the board has taken steps to fix this.
Enrolling
Students who live in the home zone have the right to enrol. 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 out-of-zone places and ballot dates on its enrolment page.
Families apply through the school’s online enrolment form, and a new student cannot start until proof of address has been provided and the enrolment accepted. The school has an enrolment support person who helps migrant families with documents, zoning and forms.
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 Hamilton Central
Hamilton West School is in Hamilton Central. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Hamilton Central guide →Like Hamilton’s outdoors?
Explore Hamilton Weekly has a walk or park idea every week, plus local news and weekend picks. Free every Thursday.
Free. One email a week. Unsubscribe any time.
Questions parents ask
Is Hamilton West School zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Hamilton Lake and parts of Hamilton Central, Melville and Frankton Hamilton.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 8.
How many students go there?
711 at 1 Oct 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?
433. 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, 10 Nov 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).