Last updated October 2026
Palmerston North Girls’ High School is a state, girls’ secondary school for Years 9 to 13 at Fitzherbert Avenue, Palmerston North. It opened in 1902 and had 1,318 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes all of Hokowhitu and Fitzherbert, and parts of West End, Terrace End, Palmerston North Central and Turitea; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
The school’s site describes a Pūmanawa extension programme, including challenge maths, robotics, engineering, Model UN and the Pūhoro STEMM Academy for Māori science students, along with learning support and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award. It offers a wide range of sports, from athletics and equestrian to water polo, along with kapa haka, music, drama, debating and wearable arts, and takes international students with homestay.
At a glance
- Principal
- Tracy Walker
- Address
- Fitzherbert Avenue, Palmerston North
- Phone
- 06 357 9194
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Fitzherbert Palmerston North and Hokowhitu.
Parts of West End Palmerston North, Terrace End Palmerston North, Palmerston North Central and Turitea Palmerston North: 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 1,318 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
26 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 April 2024. This kind of report sets out what ERO and the school will evaluate together, here how well school-wide literacy teaching supports fair progress and success for all students, particularly Māori and Pacific students.
ERO noted respectful relationships and a positive learning environment that build students’ sense of belonging, leaders who plan for continuous improvement, teachers committed to building their literacy practice together, and established internal evaluation and inquiry that support change.
From here the school plans to introduce a school-wide approach to literacy backed by professional learning, strengthen assessment so teaching can adapt to students’ literacy needs, track and respond to each student’s progress, and further embed culturally responsive teaching and mātauranga Māori across the curriculum.
Read the ERO reports for Palmerston North Girls’ High School
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 checks that in-zone addresses are genuine and may review an enrolment made with a temporary address. Whānau apply online and meet a senior staff member as part of the transition, and the school publishes its out-of-zone closing and ballot dates on its enrolment page each year.
Schools nearby
In West End Palmerston North
Palmerston North Girls' High School is in West End Palmerston North. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our West End Palmerston North guide →Questions parents ask
Is Palmerston North Girls' High School zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Fitzherbert Palmerston North and Hokowhitu and parts of West End Palmerston North, Terrace End Palmerston North, Palmerston North Central and Turitea Palmerston North.
What years does it teach?
Years 9 to 13.
How many students go there?
1,318 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?
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.
Is it a single-sex school?
Yes. It takes girls only.
How did its school leavers do in NCEA?
In 2025, 93.9% 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, 24 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.