There are lots of things to think of when choosing the right schools for your children and it can often be difficult to know where to even begin.
Across New Zealand, parents need to think about whether their children are going to a school in a good area, the level of education they'll get, and the kinds of opportunities the schools will provide their children.
To help you start your search, we're looking at some of the secondary schools in Tauranga and the things you might want to think of when choosing a school.
Secondary Schools in Tauranga
Before we look at some of the factors to consider when choosing a secondary school for your child, let's see some of the options out there.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but we've tried to include a mix of private, state, and state-integrated schools, single-sex and coed schools, and secular and denominational schools.
Pāpāmoa College
Pāpāmoa College is a coed state school that teaches years 7 through 13.
Certain reports on Pāpāmoa College don't necessarily make for great reading as the NCEA Levels held by leavers are lower than local and national averages. However, the school is praised for the relationship it has with local iwi as well as the care and empathy it offers to its students.
Ōtūmoetai College
Ōtūmoetai College is another coed state secondary school that serves the western suburbs of Tauranga.
The school has been praised for its strong links with the local community including local iwi. In its 2016 report, however, the Education Review Office highlighted issues in the disparities between the performance of Māori and non-Māori and highlighted a need to make addressing this issue a priority.
Recent overall academic performance of students tends to be on or around national and local averages.
Mount Maunganui College
Mount Maunganui College is a mixed-sex state secondary school (years 9-15) whose academic results are largely in line with local and national averages.
In its most recent report, the school was praised for having a strong and inclusive school culture, leadership focusing on equity, and teaching and learning that focuses on ako and hauora.
ACG Tauranga
ACG Tauranga is a private coed day school that's part of the ACG Schools company. In the Crimson Education report "Top 50 New Zealand Schools 2023: For Gaining Entry to Top Universities", ACG Parnell College in Auckland placed 1st and ACG Sunderland (also in Auckland) placed 48th.
ACG Tauranga didn't make this list, but the percentage of students leaving with NCEA Level 3 or above qualifications is far above the local and national averages as well as the average for private schools in New Zealand.
The annual tuition fees for domestic secondary school students (between years 7 and 13) are between NZ$23,485 and NZ$24,490 depending on the age of the student.
Read more about New Zealand's best secondary schools.
Tauranga Boys' College
Tauranga Boys' College is a state school and as the name suggests, this is an all-boys school. The school was initially mixed but became single-sex with the creation of the Tauranga Girls' College in 1958.
Much like the girls' college, Tauranga Boys' College has a lot of ethnic diversity and is reported to achieve equitable learning outcomes for all its students.
While the percentage of NCEA Level 3 qualifications for leavers is below average, the college has been praised for effective learning acceleration in reading and numeracy for Māori and Pacific students as well as in writing for Māori and Pākehā students.
Tauranga Girls' College
Tauranga Girls' College is an all-girls state secondary school with a diverse student body with a more diverse mix of Pākehā, Māori, and Pacific heritage than many other schools.
The school's report in 2018 showed a positive learning culture and opportunities for accelerated learning for Māori and other students.
Read about the top schools in Auckland.
Bethlehem College
Bethlehem College is a state-integrated Christian school for years 0-13 and during its most recent review by the Education Review Office, the school reviewed very well.
It was particularly well noted for how its special Christian character provided students with a strong sense of well-being while also promoting Māori culture and Māori students achieving a similar level of academic success to non-Māori peers.
Bethlehem College outperforms the averages for the Bay of Plenty Region, the national average, state-integrated schools, and composite schools in terms of leavers with an NCEA Level 3 or above qualification.
Aquinas College
Aquinas College is a coed state-integrated Catholic school.
In terms of the percentage of leavers with NCEA Level 3 or above qualifications, Aquinas College far outperforms local and national averages as well as the averages for state-integrated schools.
Tauranga's Top Schools at a Glance
| School | Type | Years | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pāpāmoa College | State | 7-13 | Coed |
| Ōtūmoetai College | State | 9-13 | Coed |
| Mount Maunganui College | State | 9-13 | Coed |
| ACG Tauranga | Private | 1-13 | Coed |
| Tauranga Boys' College | State | 9-13 | Boys |
| Tauranga Girls' College | State | 9-13 | Girls |
| Bethlehem College | State-integrated | 0-13 | Coed |
| Aquinas College | State-integrated | 7-13 | Coed |
What to Look for When Choosing Schools
Every child is different so it's up to the parent to work out which schools will provide the best environment for the child to learn in and provide them with the best possible future.
While high-performing schools are always a good place to start, academic results aren't the only thing you should look for and for some children, there may be other factors to take into account.
Here are just a few things to think about.
Academic Reputation
Don't forget that the most recent academic results of a school only really apply to one particular year. Look at the school's academic reputation and history.
One bad year doesn't make a bad school. A lot of rankings only look at the last academic year and while it's always good for a school to top the rankings, it doesn't necessarily mean that they always do.
Find which are the best schools in Wellington.
Disciplinary Procedure
You'll want your child to be safe in their school and comfortable in their school. Some parents may prefer a stricter school for their child whereas other children may respond better to a more relaxed learning environment.
Many parents may also want to know about how the school deals with things like bullying and harassment.
Opportunities for Extracurricular Activities
There's more to school than just the classes that your child attends. If they have any interest in sports, the arts, or any other extracurricular activities, you'll want to make sure that there are options for them to explore these interests either through the school or outside of it.
Just don't forget that the school calendar can be different for private schools.
Religious Denomination
For religious families, the school's denomination may be worth considering. If they want their child to be educated in a certain way, then the school's moral or religious affiliations may need to be taken into account.
Smaller Classes
Class size is something that a lot of private schools brag about. There's a good reason for this. The fewer students there are in a class, the easier it is for the teaching staff to adjust and adapt the lessons and their content to each individual in the class.
In bigger classes, students end up being taught in more generic ways with activities and the curriculum designed to get the best results out of the cohort rather than the individual.
Discover Christchurch's top schools.
Value for Money
While private schools tend to outrank state schools as they have better funding and can be more selective with their students, they're not a guarantee of results.
You may need to consider how much value you're getting for your child's education or whether the tuition fees are a waste of your money.
Where the School Is
Where the school is will affect whether or not your child is automatically accepted or not. You may also want to think about your child getting to and from their school, the neighbourhood the school's in, and how feasible and safe their daily journeys will be.
The socioeconomic decile or equity index can be used to provide an indication of the catchment area for schools and the kind of funding that state schools will receive based on the areas they're in.
Learn about the best secondary schools in Hamilton.
Get Additional Academic Support with Private Tutors
No matter what school your child goes to, there are always ways to provide them with extra support.
Private tutoring can help struggling students, but it can also provide gifted students with a way to perform even better at school.
On the Superprof website, you can search for local tutors in Tauranga or broaden your search to include tutors from all over the world.
When it's time for exams, for example, beyond school subjects, there are tutors providing tutoring in a broad range of subjects and skills so no matter what you or your child are looking to get help with learning, you can start browsing tutors' profiles.
On each tutor's profile, you can see what they teach, how much they charge, and what their other students have to say about them. Many of the tutors on the website also offer the first session for free so feel free to try a few potential tutors out before choosing the one that's right for you.
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