There are lots of ways to judge a school and different parents will have different criteria when it comes to choosing what's best for their children.
When it comes to secondary schools in Christchurch, there are quite a few options in terms of state, private, mixed, boys', and girls' schools.
What's right for one child won't necessarily be right for another so while these schools are a good starting point, remember to do your research beyond rankings and the academic performance of schools.
Here are a few schools in Christchurch to help you start your search.
Secondary Schools in Christchurch
Shirley Boys' High School
Shirley Boys' High School (SBHS), as you can guess, is an all-boys secondary. While it still bears the "Shirley" name, its current location is to the east of the city on the site that was previously the Queen Elizabeth II Stadium.
The school was first opened in 1957 to provide single-sex education to boys in the area and currently teaches years 9 to 13.
Christchurch Girls' High School | Te Kura o Hine Waiora
Having been founded in 1877, Christchurch Girls' High School is the second oldest girls' school in New Zealand. This is a state secondary school and offers both options for day students and boarding for students in years 9 to 13.
As for its academic performance, the schools' averages far outperform local and national averages, especially for NCEA Level 3 qualifications. Between 2020 and 2022, between 78.4% and 89.5% of students have an NCEA Level 3 or above, which is far higher than the national averages of between 51.8% and 59.7%.
Avonside Girls' High School
Avonside Girls' High School, along with Shirley Boys' High School, is located on the site of the former Queen Elizabeth II stadium and park and moved there at the same time. As you may have guessed, the school was originally in Avonside before the move.
Much like the other schools we've seen so far, this is another school for years 9 to 13. Avonside Girls' High School is a state school.
Discover Tauranga's best schools.
Middleton Grange School
Middleton Grange School teaches years 1 to 13 and is the country's biggest evangelical Christian school.
The school is classified as a state-integrated school, which is a designation given to schools that follow the New Zealand curriculum while being allowed to retain certain special characteristics, usually a specific religion.
The school was first founded in 1964 and is located in Upper Riccarton, Christchurch. While the school isn't “private”, there are certain fees payable by parents of children attending Middleton Grange School including the compulsory “attendance dues” (NZ$1,700 per student per year) and a voluntary “Special Character Donation” to “maintain the school's Christian character”.
With 69.4% of students achieving an NCEA Level 3 or above in 2022, the school's performance is well above the national average of 51.8% and just below the average of 70.6% from state-integrated schools.
Cashmere High School
Cashmere High School is located in Somerfield, Christchurch and was first opened in 1956. This is a coed state school and one of the biggest in the area. As part of the school's enrolment policy, students from the home zone are automatically accepted.
While Cashmere's pass rates for NCEA Level 3 aren't as high as some of the private schools we'll see shortly, it's still a good deal higher than the averages for similar schools.
Burnside High School
Burnside High School is the largest secondary school outside of Auckland and one of the four largest in the country.
Despite the large number of students enrolled at the school, it still boasts impressive and above-average pass rates for the NCEA Level 3. In fact, it outperforms the averages for schools both in the region and nationally as well as other state secondary schools.
Find out more about New Zealand's best secondary schools.
Christ's College
In 26th place in the Crimson Education rankings, Christ's College slumped from its previous ranking of 12th while still remaining the third-highest-ranked school in Christchurch.
This private boys' secondary school boasts high pass rates for NCEA Level 3 and above far above the averages for the country, region, and private schools.
For day students, the annual fees are between NZ$32,250 and NZ$33,870 depending on the student's age. Fees for boarders are NZ$53,250 for the year.
St Andrew's College
St Andrew's College (StAC) is a mixed private school in Strowan and has been since 2001. Before then, St Andrew's College was a boys' school founded by a Presbyterian reverend.
In 2023, the school ranked 18th on the Crimson Education rankings (up from 21st the previous year) and a consistently high percentage of students with NCEA Level 3 or above (91% in 2022).
The annual domestic tuition fees for secondary school day students are between NZ$24,300 and NZ$27,900 with boarding fees of NZ$19,200 a year.
Learn about the top schools in Auckland.
Rangi Ruru Girls' School
Rangi Ruru Girls' School is a private all-girls day and boarding school in Merivale. The school ranked 13th (up from 15th) in Crimson Education's 2023 rankings and is the highest-ranking school in Christchurch on the list.
This is a Presbyterian private school that was founded in 1889 and consistently gets excellent academic results. With 92% of students achieving an NCEA Level 3 qualification. As a girls' school, there is a slight advantage to the results (as girls tend to outperform boys across all New Zealand schools), but this shouldn't overshadow the excellent work being done by both the faculty and the students.
The tuition fees at Rangi Ruru Girls' School are between NZ$26,100 and NZ$29,050. Boarding fees are $18,100 a year. There are discounts available for siblings.
Just remember that state and state-integrated schools don't necessarily have the same academic calendar as private schools.
Christchurch's Top Schools at a Glance
| School | Type | Years | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shirley Boys' High School | State | 9-13 | Boys |
| Christchurch Girls' High School | State | 9-13 | Girls |
| Avonside Girls' High School | State | 9-13 | Girls |
| Middleton Grange School | State-integrated | 1-13 | Coed |
| Cashmere High School | State | 9-13 | Coed |
| Burnside High School | State | 9-13 | Coed |
| Christ's College | Private | 9-13 | Boys |
| St Andrew's College | Private | 9-13 | Mixed |
| Rangi Ruru Girls' School | Private | 7-13 | Girls |
Choosing a School
Rankings and exam results are just one of the factors you should consider when looking for a school and it can even help to research other schools.
In a lot of cases, your choice will be limited to exactly where you are. With schools automatically accepting students from certain areas but not others, your child mightn't be accepted in a school that's further away from where you live. To perform better in exams, it helps to know when the exams are, and study for them appropriately.
Culture, Values, Diversity, and Inclusion
You also need to think of extracurricular and non-curricular criteria. Religious families may want to send their children to a school whose values are the same as their own and in this case, both private and state-integrated schools may provide the solution.
Diversity may be an important consideration for certain families. Same-sex schools and religious schools are always going to be less diverse.
Find out more about the best schools in Hamilton.
Opportunities and Special Programmes
Beyond academic performance, you may want to look into the kinds of opportunities students have once they've finished their schooling. Certain schools may offer better prospects to their students than others and you'll want to provide your child with the best possible future you can.
For parents of children with particular interests or special educational needs, you may also need to look beyond the general pass rates and university acceptance rates of a school. In these circumstances, look to the special programmes offered by the school as there may be certain areas where the school excels even if the pass rates aren't as good.
These are just a few of the things you should consider, but it's also worth thinking about every single factor before choosing a school so that your child ends up in the educational environment that will allow them to flourish.
Read about Wellington's top schools.
Get Academic Help for Your Child from Private Tutors
Private tutoring provides an excellent option to improve your child's academic performance and to help them get the most out of their education.
A lot of the most expensive private schools boast smaller class sizes, but you can't get smaller than a class with just one student in it.
One-to-one private tutoring comes with a lot of benefits as the tutor can tailor every aspect of every session to the student, what they need to learn, and what they want to learn.
Even the best teachers have to make compromises to ensure that the lesson is suited to the entire group, which means certain children aren't getting the best education they can.
Of course, it wouldn't be feasible for every child in the country to be taught one-on-one but in subjects where a child is struggling or in areas where they'd like to do better, private tutoring provides an excellent way to boost their learning potential.
Tutors don't need to necessarily help with specific subjects, either. Tutors can help children to become effective learners by teaching them study skills, organisation, and other skills that they can use in every lesson at school.
On the Superprof website, you can search for tutors in Christchurch, across New Zealand, and around the world. No matter the subject or skill you're looking for, there's likely a tutor out there for you.
Even if there aren't any local tutors, a lot of tutors from around the world offer online tutoring and these sessions are often cheaper than face-to-face tutoring since the tutor doesn't have to travel to their students.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
