While Wellington can claim to be the capital, when it comes to secondary school education, Auckland is the dominant force. Students in Auckland are spoilt for choice when it comes to excellent schools, especially if they have the means to attend one of the city's many private secondary academic establishments.
In the 2025 rankings, 31 of the Top 50 schools are still located in Auckland, reaffirming the region’s dominance in secondary education. This accounts for over 60% of the places on the list, which schools in Auckland hold.
This particular ranking examines admission rates to top universities worldwide and can provide a good indication of a school's quality. However, don't forget that this is just one of the considerations that a parent should consider when choosing the best secondary schools for their children.
Top High Schools in Auckland (Private and State Options)
First, we'll look at the top-ranked schools in Auckland overall. As you'll see, there's a strong bias towards private and independent schools, but some state schools still meet the standards.
in the Top 50 are in Auckland.
Auckland Grammar School
Auckland Grammar School entered the Top 10 in the Crimson Education rankings in 2024, reflecting its strong Cambridge exam results. Remember to check the exam dates to properly revise for your exams, too!
The Crimson Education rankings focus specifically on how well schools prepare students for entrance into top global universities, such as those in the Ivy League, Oxford, and Cambridge. This makes the rankings particularly relevant for academically ambitious students aiming for international higher education.
Despite its name, Auckland Grammar School is a state school and follows New Zealand's curriculum (the NZC) including the NCEA (National Certificate of Achievement) operated by the NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Authority).
The results of the Auckland Grammar School are always very good, especially considering its status as a state school.
Auckland Grammar School offers options for both boarding and day students, providing a unique schooling experience for secondary school students in Auckland. Similarly to many private boarding schools, however, Auckland Grammar School only accepts boys.
Macleans College
Macleans College is a mixed-sex state secondary school and was ranked an impressive 10th in New Zealand, although it dropped from its ranking of 7th during the previous year.
Much like the other schools we'll see in this article, Macleans College boasts very high numbers of students leaving with qualifications such as NCEA Levels 1 and 2, IGCSEs, or AS Levels.
The school was founded in 1980 and is located in Eastern Beach, Auckland.
Baradene College of the Sacred Heart
Baradene College of the Sacred Heart continued to rise, reaching 5th place in 2024, building on its earlier momentum from 2023.
This is a Catholic girls' school in Remuera, Auckland. As a state-integrated school, it follows the New Zealand Curriculum while retaining certain special characteristics. In this instance, being a Roman Catholic school.
Most of the state-integrated schools in New Zealand are Roman Catholic (236 of 335 in 2022) as the whole state-integrated system was mostly created to save many private Catholic schools from financial difficulties.
State-integrated schools in New Zealand are former private schools that have integrated into the state system. They follow the New Zealand Curriculum but retain their special character, often religious or philosophical. While they receive government funding like state schools, they may charge attendance fees for property maintenance.
Check out the best schools in Wellington.
St Kentigern College
SSt Kentigern College remained a consistent performer, ranked within the Top 10 nationally in the 2025 Crimson Education report.
The school is mixed in the sense that the Senior College for Years 11 through 13 is mixed while the Middle College for Years 7 and 8 is single-sex.
Rangitoto College
Rangitoto College is another coed state school. It took 6th place (up from 10th) in the 2023 Crimson Education rankings.
Rangitoto College is on Auckland's North Shore and automatically accepts students from within its enrolment zone, which includes Browns Bay, Campbells Bay, Mairangi Bay, Murrays Bay, Pinehill, Rothesay Bay, Sunset North, and Windsor Park.
An enrolment zone is a defined geographic area around a school. Students living within this zone are guaranteed a place, helping to manage school capacity. Living outside the zone means placement is not guaranteed and is often subject to a ballot or limited availability.
Just like all the other top-ranking schools, Rangitoto College boasts excellent percentages of students leaving with qualifications compared to the national average.
It should be noted, however, that a lot of these schools that rank highly are also from areas classified as having the "least socio-economic disadvantage". In non-government speak, this essentially means that the students tend to come from economically affluent areas, which regularly tends to correlate with better academic performance, and university acceptance, which doesn't mean that affluence causes these results.
Remember that state and state-integrated schools might have different term dates from private schools.
Diocesan School For Girls
Diocesan School for Girls was ranked #5 nationally in 2024, continuing to perform strongly among Auckland’s elite girls’ schools.
The school consists of a junior school, junior high school, and senior high school. The junior school equates to primary school age (years 1 to 6) and the junior high and senior high school cover years 7 through 13.
The tuition fees at Diocesan School for Girls (or simply Dio), are NZ$28,445 a year. The school offers both options for day students and boarding.
Have a look at the best schools in Christchurch.
Pinehurst School
At the business end of the rankings, the top schools in Auckland also start to occupy all the top spots nationally and Pinehurst School is 4th nationally and 4th in Auckland by default.
Pinehurst School is another private school and can be found in Albany, Auckland. The school covers both primary and secondary education with students from years 1 to 13.
The domestic tuition fees vary according to the age of the student, but for secondary school students, they range between NZ$19,425 and $21,675, with discounts for additional siblings.
Kristin School
Kristin School is currently ranked 3rd nationally, maintaining its position in the Top 3 for 2025 after previously holding the #1 spot.
This mixed private school is also in Albany, Auckland, and charges tuition fees between NZ$27,039 and NZ$27,606 for secondary school pupils (those in the Middle School and the Senior School).
Kristin School also has a Junior School for years 0-6.
St. Cuthbert's College
St. Cuthbert’s College is now ranked #1 in both Auckland and New Zealand in the 2025 Crimson Education rankings.
The school educates girls from primary to secondary school age. The fees for secondary school students are NZ$29,164 a year.
St. Cuthbert's College (or any of the schools we've mentioned so far) would be an excellent choice.
St Cuthbert's College is also one of the largest schools.
ACG Parnell College
ACG Parnell College is currently ranked 2nd nationally, after topping the list in 2023.
This is a mixed independent and private school and one of the four ACGs in New Zealand. There are three ACG schools in Auckland (ACG Parnell College, ACG Strathallan, and ACG Sunderland) and one in Tauranga (ACG Tauranga).
Discover Tauranga's best secondary schools.
Best State Secondary Schools in Auckland
Despite relative domination from the private schools, with 6 of Crimson Education's Top 10 in New Zealand being private schools, it's worthwhile also looking at some of Auckland's best state schools.
Four of them (Auckland Grammar School, Macleans College, Baradene College of the Sacred Heart, and Rangitoto College) are all featured in the best schools in and around Auckland, but there are also a few others that should be mentioned.
Sometimes I can't find the words for just how proud I am of our school.
Ngaire Ashmore, Principal of Auckland Girls’ Grammar School
State Schools with Strong Global University Acceptance Rates
If you look solely at some of the information provided by the New Zealand government rather than the Crimson Education rankings, there are some other schools with noteworthy university acceptance.
Of course, Crimson Education looked at university acceptance into "top global universities" but there are certainly other things that can be considered when choosing schools for your children.
That said, some of the state schools in Auckland with the best university acceptance rates include the Kelston Deaf Education Centre, Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Te Raki Paewhenua, Te Wharekura O Manurewa, Hebron Christian College, and Auckland Grammar.
Read about the best secondary schools in Hamilton.
Auckland's Top Schools: Ranked Comparison Table
| School | 2025 Rank (NZ) | Type | Key Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Cuthbert’s College | 1 | Private (Girls, Years 0–13, Day & Boarding) | #1 nationally; elite Epsom school with ~1,500 students |
| ACG Parnell College | 2 | Private (Coed, Years 1–13) | Ranked #2 in 2025, previously #1 |
| Kristin School | 3 | Private (Coed, Years 0–13) | Maintains Top‑3 position |
| Pinehurst School | 4 | Private (Coed, Years 1–13) | Among Top‑5 nationally |
| Diocesan School for Girls | 5 | Private (Girls, Years 1–13, Day & Boarding) | #5 among Top 50 |
| Auckland Grammar School | Top 10 | State (Boys, Years 9–13, Day & Boarding) | Entered Top 10 rankings in 2024 |
| Macleans College | Top 10 | State (Coed, Years 9–13) | Consistently high academic performer |
| Baradene College of the Sacred Heart | Top 10 | State-Integrated Catholic (Girls, Years 7–13) | Rose to Top 10, ~#5 in 2024–25 |
| St Kentigern College | Top 10 | Private (Coed senior, Presbyterian, Years 7–13) | Remains a stable Top‑10 school |
| Rangitoto College | Top 10 | State (Coed, Years 9–13) | North Shore school with strong academic record |
How Socio-Economic Status Affects School Rankings in Auckland
You can see from the rankings which are the best schools. However, these rankings aren't the full story. After all, socio-economic factors of the school's student populations greatly affects academic success. Most of Auckland's top-performing schools, particularly those dominating the Crimson Education rankings, are in affluent neighbours.
With greater access to educational resources, extracurricular activities, private tutoring, and many other facilities, families in these areas are more able to invest time and money into their children's education, giving them an advantage before they even reach the classroom.
You can also see that private schools make up a significant portion of the top schools. After all, with additional funding in the form of fees, these schools can offer smaller classes, more specialised teachers, and a better range of both academic and and extracurricular offerings.
Just remember that the rankings aren't everything and state schools and state-integrated schools can perform just as well for certain individuals. The school's performance is the average of performance across all students, and this doesn't always consider the individual needs of certain students.
You may find that your child mightn't fit in well with some of the top schools, which is much the same with universities, too. Accademic achievement can be nurtured in any setting, especially when the parents, teachers, and students are all working together for the student. With support at home, supplementary learning (like tutoring), and support and motivation, they can outperform students in more privileged settings.
School is about engagement, culture, and individual learning needs as well as the raw academic results offered by rankings and tables.
Private Tutoring and Education Alternatives in Auckland
There are many factors to consider when choosing a school. University acceptance rates are a good indicator of educational quality in a general sense, but these don't take into account how individual students respond.
The educational environment offered by a school is incredibly important. You'll know your child better than anyone else, and the top-ranked schools mightn't always be the best option for them.
You'll see that most private schools boast about their academic performance and class sizes, as the best way to match the educational environment to an individual student is by having fewer students in each class.
The most effective way to tailor education to the individual is through one-on-one tuition. Private tutoring, for example, offers an excellent way to complement the lessons being taught by any student in their school, especially if they're not fully responding to the teaching approach.
Tutoring isn't just for struggling students, though. Private tutoring is an excellent way to unlock a student's full potential by ensuring they learn in ways that work for them. After all, the best way to learn is the way that works for the student.
On the Superprof site, you can find tutors across New Zealand and all over the world offering tutoring for academic subjects, sports, study skills, and almost anything else you could think of! Just search on the site today.
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This doesn’t mention Kings College