List of schools in Christchurch


There are 145 schools in Christchurch, New Zealand's second most-populous city, serving approximately 59,000 primary and secondary school students. Most schools are large urban schools based in the city of Christchurch itself, including some of the largest in the country, with several small rural primary schools and a combined primary/secondary school on Banks Peninsula.
In New Zealand schools, students begin formal education in Year 0 or Year 1 at the age of five depending on the school. Year 13 is the final year of formal education. The thirteen years of formal education are generally broken up into primary education and secondary education. Generally, student complete Years 1 to 6 at a primary school and Years 9 to 13 at a secondary school. Years 7 and 8 may be taken at a primary school, secondary school, or a separate intermediate school. There are also composite schools which cover both primary and secondary education.
State schools are those fully funded by the government and at which no fees for tuition of domestic students can be charged, although a donation is commonly requested. A state integrated school is a former private school with a special character based on a religious or philosophical belief that has been integrated into the state system. Private schools charge fees to its students for tuition, as do state and state integrated schools for tuition of international students. In Christchurch, approximately 77 percent of students attend state schools, 15.5 percent attend state integrated schools, and 7.5 percent attend private schools.
The roll of each school changes frequently as students start school for the first time, move between schools, and graduate or drop out. The rolls given here are those provided by the Ministry of Education, and are based on figures from The Ministry of Education institution number links to Education Counts page for each school.

State schools

State primary & intermediate schools

All state primary and intermediate schools in Christchurch are coeducational.
NameMOEYearsLocationOpenedRollWebsiteNotes
Addington School1–6Addington1881
Avonhead School1–8Avonhead1959
Bamford School1–8Woolston
Banks Avenue School1–6Dallington1956
Beckenham School1–8Beckenham1915
Belfast School1–8Belfast1878
Bishopdale School1–6Bishopdale1957
Breens Intermediate7–8Bishopdale1976
Bromley School1–6Bromley
Burnside Primary School1–6Burnside1956
Casebrook Intermediate7–8Casebrook
Cashmere Primary School1–8Cashmere1900
Chisnallwood Intermediate7–8Avondale1967
Christchurch East School1–8Central City
Christchurch South Intermediate7–8Spreydon1939
Cobham Intermediate7–8Burnside1963
Cotswold School1–6Bishopdale1968
Diamond Harbour School1–8Diamond Harbour
Duvauchelle School1–6Akaroa
Elmwood Normal School1–6Merivale1882
Fendalton Open Air School1–6Burnside1875
Gilberthorpe School1–6Hei Hei1957
Governors Bay School1–8Governors Bay1868
Halswell School1–8Halswell
Harewood School1–6Harewood1862
Heathcote Valley School1–8Heathcote Valley1860
Heaton Normal Intermediate7–8Merivale1948
Hoon Hay School1–6Hoon Hay
Hornby Primary School1–6Hornby
Ilam School1–6Ilam
Isleworth School1–6Bishopdale1962
Kirkwood Intermediate7–8Riccarton1959
Knights Stream School1–8Halswell2019
Linwood Avenue School1–6Linwood1928
Linwood North School1–6Linwood
Little River School1–8Little River
Lyttelton Primary School1–8Lyttelton2014
Mairehau School1–8Mairehau1953
Marshland School1–8Marshland1888
Merrin School1–8Avonhead1966
Mount Pleasant School1–8Mt Pleasant
Northcote School1–6Redwood1960
Oaklands School1–8Oaklands1964
Okains Bay School1–8Okains Bay–
Opawa School1–8Opawa
Ouruhia Model School1–8Ouruhia
Papanui School1–6Papanui1871
Paparoa Street School1–6Papanui
Parkview School1–8Parklands1977
Queenspark School1–8Parklands1977
Rawhiti School1–8New Brighton2015
Redcliffs School1–8Redcliffs1907
Redwood School1–6Redwood1969
Riccarton School1–8Sockburn1873
Rowley Avenue School1–6Hoon Hay
Roydvale School1–6Burnside1967
Russley School1–8Avonhead
Shirley Intermediate7–8Shirley1934
Shirley School1–6Shirley
Somerfield School1–6Somerfield
South Hornby School1–6Hornby
South New Brighton School1–8New Brighton
Spreydon School1–6Hillmorton
St Albans School1–6St Albans
St Martins School1–8St Martins1956
Sumner School1–8Sumner1876
Templeton School1–8Templeton
Te Waka Unua School1–8Woolston2015
Thorrington School1–6Cashmere1958
Waimairi School1–6Strowan1914
Wairakei School1–6Bryndwr1950
Waitākiri Primary School1–6Burwood2014
Waltham School1–8Waltham
West Spreydon School1–6Spreydon1926
Westburn School1–8Ilam1962
Wharenui School1–8Riccarton1907
Wigram Primary School1–6Wigram1955
Yaldhurst Model School1–8Yaldhurst

State secondary & composite schools

NameMOEYearsGenderLocationOpenedRollWebsiteNotes
Akaroa Area School1–13CoedAkaroa
Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery1–13CoedIlam/Aidanfield2014Designated Character
Avonside Girls' High School9–13GirlsAvonside1919
Burnside High School9–13CoedBurnside1960
Cashmere High School9–13CoedCashmere1956
Christchurch Boys' High School9–13BoysFendalton1881Boarding
Christchurch Girls' High School9–13GirlsRiccarton1877Boarding
Haeata Community Campus1–13CoedWainoni2017
Hagley College9–13CoedCentral City1858Designated Character
Hillmorton High School7–13CoedHillmorton1961
Hornby High School7–13CoedHornby1975
Linwood College7–13CoedLinwood1954
Mairehau High School9–13CoedMairehau1961
Papanui High School9–13CoedPapanui1936
Riccarton High School9–13CoedSockburn1958
Shirley Boys' High School9–13BoysShirley1957
TKKM o Te Whanau Tahi1–13CoedSpreydon–Kura Kaupapa Māori
TKKM o Waitaha1–13CoedWalthamKura Kaupapa Māori
Te Pā o Rākaihautū1–13CoedLinwood2015Kura Kaupapa Māori. Designated Character

State-integrated schools

s are former private schools with a special character based on a religious or philosophical belief that has been integrated into the state system under the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act 1975. They were established in the early 1970s as a response to the near-collapse of the country's then private Catholic school system, which had run into financial difficulties. The majority of state-integrated schools in Christchurch continue to be Catholic schools.
State integrated schools charge "attendance dues" to cover the building and maintenance of school buildings, which are not owned by the government, but otherwise they like state schools cannot charge fees for tuition of domestic students but may request a donation.
NameMOEYearsGenderCategoryLocationOpenedRollWebsiteNotes
Aidanfield Christian School1–13CoedChristianAidanfield
Catholic Cathedral College7–13CoedCatholicCentral City1987
Christ The King School1–8CoedCatholicBurnside
Christchurch Adventist School1–13CoedAdventistPapanui1925
Emmanuel Christian School1–13CoedChristianBishopdale
Hillview Christian School1–13CoedChristianSt Martins
Marian College9–13GirlsCatholicCentral City1982
Middleton Grange School1–13CoedChristianUpper Riccarton1964
New Brighton Catholic School1–8CoedCatholicNew Brighton
Our Lady of the Assumption School1–8CoedCatholicHoon Hay
Our Lady of Victories School1–8CoedCatholicSockburn1956
Rudolf Steiner School1–13CoedWaldorfOpawa1975
Sacred Heart School1–8CoedCatholicAddington1877
Star of the Sea School1–8CoedCatholicSumner1928
St Albans Catholic School1–6CoedCatholicSt Albans1955
St Anne's School1–8CoedCatholicWoolston
St Bede's College9–13BoysCatholicPapanui1911Boarding
St Bernadette's School1–8CoedCatholicHornby1962
St Francis of Assisi Catholic School1–8CoedCatholicMairehau2016
St James School1–6CoedCatholicAranui1965
St Joseph's School1–8CoedCatholicPapanui
St Mark's School1–8CoedAnglicanOpawa
St Mary's School1–8CoedCatholicCentral City1894
St Patrick's School1–8CoedCatholicBryndwr
St Peter's School1–8CoedCatholicBeckenham1927
St Teresa's School1–8CoedCatholicRiccarton
St Thomas of Canterbury College7–13BoysCatholicSockburn1961
Tamariki School1–8CoedWoolston1966Special Character school, based on principles of A.S. Neill
Villa Maria College7–13GirlsCatholicUpper Riccarton1918

Private schools

NameMOEYearsGenderCategoryLocationOpenedRollWebsiteNotes
Cathedral Grammar School1–8CoedAnglicanCentral City1881
Christ's College9–13BoysAnglicanCentral City1850Boarding
Jean Seabrook Memorial School1–8CoedRichmond–
Medbury School1–8BoysFendalton1923Boarding
Nova Montessori School1–8CoedMontessoriNew Brighton1988
Rangi Ruru Girls' School7–13GirlsPresbyterianMerivale1889Boarding
Selwyn House School1–8GirlsMerivale1929Boarding
Seven Oaks School1–8CoedHalswell2009
Seven Oaks Secondary School9–13CoedHalswell2013
St Andrew's College1–13CoedPresbyterianStrowan1917Boarding
St Margaret's College1–13GirlsAnglicanMerivale1910Boarding
St Michael's Church School1–8CoedAnglicanCentral City1851

Special schools and teen parent units

Former schools

During 2013, Education Minister Hekia Parata announced a multitude of proposed changes to the state school network in Christchurch. In addition, Parata announced changes to some schools in the Selwyn and Waimakariri Districts.
In January 2014, six schools closed, four schools merged into two, and three schools added years in the first phase of changes. A third merger between Lyttelton Main School and Lyttelton West School took effective on 5 May 2014. The minister also confirmed and gazetted that Phillipstown School and Woolston School would merge on the Woolston site in January 2014. However, in June 2013, Phillipstown School asked the High Court for a judicial review, claiming Parata had acted illegally and made errors in her decision to close and merge the school. The review was accepted by the court, and the hearing began on 30 September 2013. On 10 October 2013, the High Court ruled in favour of Phillipstown School and overruled the Minister's decision. However, the merger went ahead, and on 2 February 2015, Te Waka Unua opened as the merged school on the site of the former Woolston School.

Footnotes