Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
William Butler Yeats
While many teens and tweens may not sing the praises of having to attend school, New Zealand boasts excellent private and public secondary schools. This isn't to say that schooling in New Zealand is perfect, and there are certainly areas where schooling can be improved. However, in one study, children in New Zealand were 7th in the world in maths, sciences, and reading tests. Overall, New Zealand sits 11th in the world for education. If you feel that the average education offered in the country isn't good enough for your children, then you can always look at some of these schools. Please note that here, we're referring to secondary schools, not universities, as they're distinct from each other in the United States.
| School Name | City | School Type | Annual Fees (NZD) | Crimson Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACG Parnell College | Auckland | Private Mixed | 26,295 - 27,620 | 1 |
| St Cuthbert's College | Auckland | Private Girls | 29,164 | 2 |
| Kristin School | Auckland | Private Mixed | 27,039 - 27,606 | Top 10 |
| Samuel Marsden Collegiate | Wellington | Private Girls | 25,156 (per term est.) | Top 20 |
| Queen Margaret College | Wellington | Private Girls | 25,380 - 26,660 | Top 20 |
| Scots College | Wellington | Private Mixed | 26,300 - 27,400 | Top 30 |
| Rangi Ruru Girls' School | Christchurch | Private Girls | 29,050 | 13 |
| Christ's College | Christchurch | Private Boys | 32,250+ | Top 20 |
| St Andrew's College | Christchurch | Private Mixed | 24,300 - 27,900 | 18 |
| Waikato Diocesan School For Girls | Hamilton | State-Integrated Girls | N/A (State-Integrated) | 29 |
Top-Ranked Secondary Schools in Auckland
Auckland dominates the 2025 Crimson Education list of Top 50 NZ Schools for university entrance, with 31 of the top schools located in the region.
primary and secondary schools in New Zealand
Money talks, and you'll notice that in almost every list you can find of good schools, you'll see a lot of private schools. The more historic and prestigious of these establishments are also often single-sex religious schools, which is more representative of their history than necessarily being an indicator that this is the best way to teach secondary school children. It's important to consider this (and many other factors) when looking at schools for your children. Here are just a few of the highly-ranked secondary schools in Auckland.
Crimson Education’s annual rankings evaluate schools based on the number of graduates accepted into top global universities, such as Harvard, Oxford, and the University of Melbourne. These rankings are increasingly referenced by parents looking for academically ambitious pathways for their children.
Kristin School
Kristin School is one of the best-ranked private schools in the Auckland area. The school is in Albany on Auckland's North Shore and includes early childhood education, junior school, middle school, and senior school. The annual fees for the middle and senior schools are NZ$27,039 and $27,606 respectively.
St Cuthbert's College
St. Cuthbert's College came second in the overall rankings across New Zealand. This is a girls' school that caters to students from primary through to secondary levels. The quarterly fees for Years 7-13 at St Cuthbert's are NZ$29,164.
ACG Parnell College
ACG Parnell College is a mixed secondary school in Parnell, Auckland. Not only is it the top-ranked school in Auckland, but it's also the #1 school according to Crimson Education. The fees at ACG Parnell for Years 7-10 are NZ$26,295 a year and for Years 11-13 are NZ$27,620. Just remember that private schools don't necessarily need to follow the exact term dates as state and state-integrated schools.
New Zealand’s school system comprises state, state-integrated, and private schools. State schools are government-funded and free to attend (excluding uniforms, donations, and some activity costs), while state-integrated schools keep a special character (often religious) and charge attendance dues. Private schools operate independently and charge full tuition.
Leading Secondary Schools in Wellington
Naturally, there are excellent schools all over the world, including in New Zealand. While the schools in Auckland fill up a large portion of the Crimson Education ranking, there are also plenty of excellent schools across New Zealand and in and around Wellington. We have an article dedicated to the best schools in Wellington, but here are a few of the truly exceptional educational establishments, as ranked by their reputation for helping their students gain university admissions.
Scots College
Scots College is located in Strathmore Park, Wellington, and is a mixed private school. Although the change to mixed was recent, before 2020, the school was a boys' school. The school charges annual tuition fees of NZ$26,300 for years 7-10 and NZ$27,400 for years 11-13. There are discounts for siblings.
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School is a private girls' school in Karori, Wellington. The school was founded in the late 19th century and remains among the country's highest-ranked. You'll start to realise, as you read on, that most of the top schools across the country are private and are far from being new. Samuel Marsden Collegiate School charges NZ$6,289 per term in tuition for its secondary school students.
of NZ secondary students attend private schools.
Queen Margaret College
Queen Margaret College teaches students of all ages from years 1 through 13. The highest-ranked school in Wellington also charges tuition fees similar to those seen elsewhere, ranging from NZ$25,380 to NZ$26,660 for Years 7 to 13, depending on the student's age.
While private school fees can be substantial (often exceeding $25,000 annually), many parents view this as an investment in smaller class sizes, enriched curricula, and better access to resources. However, excellent results can also be achieved by top-performing public and state-integrated schools.
Top Schools in Christchurch
There are a considerable number of high-ranking secondary schools in Christchurch. Don't expect any changes to the formula here; the top-ranked schools are costly private boarding schools, though there are always options for day students as well. Here are just a few of the very best schools in Christchurch.
Christ's College
Christ Church College is an Anglican independent boys' school in Christchurch. It's one of the few schools we'll see here that's only for secondary schoolers and is New Zealand's only boys' school for years 9 through 13. In comparison to some of the other schools we've seen so far, with tuition fees for day students starting at $32,250 (Year 10 is slightly more expensive), it's on the higher end.
St Andrew's College
St Andrew's College (StAC) is a mixed private school highly ranked for students looking to attend university after they graduate. It ranked 18th in the Crimson Education rankings, after all. Fees for day students from New Zealand are between NZ$24,300 and NZ$27,900 for years 7 through 13. For years 9-13, the boarding fee is NZ$19,200.
Rangi Ruru Girls' School
In 13th place on the Crimson Education rankings, Rangi Ruru Girls' School is the highest ranked in Christchurch. As the name indicates, this is a girls' school, and like all the others we've seen, it's a private school. The tuition fees for years 9 to 13 are NZ$29,050, and there are discounts for siblings.
The Best Schools in Tauranga
When it comes to the best schools, none of Tauranga's schools are featured in the Crimson Education top 50; however, that doesn't mean there aren't good schools. We have a whole article on Tauranga's best schools, but here are just some of the very best.
Tauranga Girls' College
As you can guess, Tauranga Girls' College is a girls' school, but unlike a lot of the schools we've talked about so far, this one is a state school.
Bethlehem College
Bethlehem College is a non-denominational Christian college in Tauranga. It offers Christian education to students from years 0 to 13.
The fees for Bethlehem College are NZ$2,300 a year with an extra Special Character Contribution required once per family of NZ$1,700 per year.
Aquinas College
Aquinas College is a mixed Roman Catholic school. This is a state-integrated school, which means that this was a former private school but is now integrated into New Zealand's state educational system while being allowed to remain Catholic, basically. Many of the state-integrated schools in the country are Roman Catholic since they were essentially created to save private Roman Catholic schools.
Highly-Ranked Schools in Hamilton
Hamilton is also home to some very highly-ranked secondary schools, middle schools, and colleges.
There's much more about Hamilton's best secondary schools in our dedicated article, but here are a few of the top ones.
St Paul's Collegiate School
St Paul's Collegiate School ranked 35th in the Crimson Education rankings. This private Anglican secondary school was initially a boys' school, but by 2010 was fully mixed.
Domestic student tuition fees are NZ$25,910 except for Year 10.
St Peter's School Cambridge
St Peter's School is another private mixed Anglican secondary school that's 20km outside of Hamilton (about a 20-minute drive).
The school offers both day and boarding options, and the domestic fees for day students are between NZ$22,900 and $28,400 according to the age of the student.
Waikato Diocesan School For Girls
Ranked 29th in the Crimson Education rankings, Waikato Diocesan School For Girls is Hamilton's highest-ranked secondary school.
This is a state-integrated Anglican girls' school that offers boarding while also accepting day students.
How to Choose the Best School for Your Child
While rankings, especially those for university acceptance, are good indicators of the overall quality of a school, don't forget that there's more to education than that.
Your child mightn't necessarily reach their educational potential in an environment that doesn't suit them. As you'll know them better than anyone, you'll likely also have a good idea of the educational environments that will work best for them.
Even children in the country's best schools can struggle, but it isn't the end of the world. Whether it's help with study skills or a particular subject, don't forget that private tutoring can also help a lot.
Most of the top private schools boast smaller class sizes, and there's a reason for this: the smaller the class, the more teachers and tutors can tailor activities to their students. With one-on-one private tutoring, every minute of every session can be tailored to the student, and many students benefit from this type of learning.
The same is true with students in state schools, where classes are usually larger. In some cases, your child can get the most out of their education with cost-effective private tutoring rather than requiring a boarding school.
Get the Most Out of the Best Schools with a Private Tutor
Just because a student attends one of the best schools in the country, it doesn't mean that their education is going to be free of problems or challenges. No school, no matter how prestigious, can tailor every lesson perfectly to every single learner. Here's where private tutoring can come in.
Private tutors can complement the top-notch classroom teaching offered by the best schools with personalised sessions for individuals. Whether your child needs help with maths, science, literacy, university preparation, or just study skills, one-on-one tutoring can fill in the gaps left by teachers who may be limited in terms of time or resources.
Tutors can reinforce the topics covered at school or even adjust the teaching style to the student's strengths. Students at the best schools will likely be under increased pressure to perform incredibly well, and tutoring can help them achieve the best results they're capable of.
Whether they're preparing for NCEA, IB, or Cambridge exams, you can find suitable tutors on Superprof. There is one-on-one tutoring available in-person or online, which can be tailored to your child's pace, goals, and learning style.
There are tutors all over New Zealand and the world who can help with various subjects, exams, or more general study skills. A private tutor is to help them thrive, not just pass. Just search for what your child needs tutoring in, and you can start browsing the tutors' profiles today. Profiles will feature the tutor's rates, subjects, and reviews from their previous students.
With many offering the first session for free, you can try a few before choosing the right one for your child, budget, and schedule. Just search for what you need help with on the Superprof site today!
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