Last updated October 2026
Sacred Heart College is a state-integrated, girls’ secondary school for Years 9 to 13 at 12 Convent Road, Napier. It opened in 1867 and had 351 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
It has no home zone, so any student can apply. The school’s site describes a Catholic special character, with religious education and worship part of every student’s programme, and a junior curriculum focused on literacy and numeracy with specialist help for students with learning difficulties and extension where it fits. It lists performing and visual arts and a wide range of sports codes, including waka ama, ki-o-rahi, equestrian and water polo, and takes international students, who live with homestay families arranged by the school.
At a glance
- Principal
- Maria Neville-Foster
- Address
- 12 Convent Road, Napier
- Phone
- 06 835 3761
Home zone
No home zone: any student can apply to enrol. If more students apply than there are places, the school decides how places are offered.
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 351 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
5 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 Te Ara Huarau School Profile Report from February 2023. This kind of report sets out what ERO and the school will evaluate together, here how well assessment for learning improves fair and strong outcomes for junior students, after school data showed Māori and Pacific learners needed faster progress.
ERO pointed to leaders who plan for improvement with Māori and Pacific students in mind, professional learning that is closely tied to the school’s goals, leaders who gather the views of students and whānau before making changes, and respectful relationships that give students a sense of belonging within the school’s special character.
Next, the school plans to build teachers’ skill in assessment for learning so it shapes their programmes and helps students take charge of their own learning, and to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi by strengthening its relationship with Ngāti Kahungunu as it develops a local curriculum grounded in mātauranga Māori.
Read the ERO reports for Sacred Heart College (Napier)
Enrolling
As a state-integrated Catholic school, Sacred Heart gives preference to girls who are baptised Catholic or whose families have an established link with the Catholic Church, confirmed by a preference certificate signed by a priest.
A limited number of non-preference places are offered each year, decided in a set order of priority, with a waiting list for those not offered a place.
Families sign an attendance dues agreement as a condition of enrolment, and parents agree that their daughter will take part in religious education and worship. Enrolment begins by contacting the school office and includes an interview with the principal or deputy principal. The school publishes its non-preference application closing date on its enrolment page each year.
Schools nearby
In Bluff Hill
Sacred Heart College (Napier) is in Bluff Hill. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Questions parents ask
Is Sacred Heart College (Napier) zoned?
No. It has no home zone, so any student can apply to enrol.
What years does it teach?
Years 9 to 13.
How many students go there?
351 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?
446. 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, 94.7% 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). 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.