Pekerau School  was officially opened on the 3rd February 1958 with a roll of 263 pupils.  Primer one to Standard 4.  At that stage it had no official name and was known as 'Te Awamutu No. 2 school'.  Mr Cyril Meads was the first headmaster.  The school log recorded 6 teachers, 1 clerk and 1 PA.  The caretaker was Mr Lethbridge.

“Pekerau” the official name given to this school on 17-04-58, was supposed to be an abbreviation of Pekepekarau, the early Maori name for the area. The spelling should have been “Pekarau” but was mistakenly written as Pekerau.  *Pekapekarau means “a multitude of bats”.

The school was closed the next day 4th February 1958, for children to welcome Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in Hamilton.  .