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, students 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 and intermediate schools

All state primary and intermediate schools in Christchurch are coeducational.
NameMOEYearsLocationOpenedRollNotes
Addington School1–6Addington1881
Avonhead School1–8Avonhead1959
Banks Avenue School1–6Dallington1956
Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto1–8Beckenham1915
Belfast School1–8Belfast1878
Bishopdale School1–6Bishopdale1957
Breens Intermediate7–8Bishopdale1976
Bromley School1–6Bromley1880
Burnside Primary School1–6Burnside1956
Casebrook Intermediate7–8Casebrook1966
Cashmere Primary School1–8Cashmere1900
Chisnallwood Intermediate7–8Avondale1967
Christchurch East School1–8Central City1873
Christchurch South Intermediate7–8Spreydon1939
Cobham Intermediate7–8Burnside1963
Cotswold School1–6Bishopdale1968
Diamond Harbour School1–8Diamond Harbour1945
Duvauchelle School1–6Duvauchelle1860
Elmwood Normal School1–6Merivale1882
Gilberthorpe School1–6Hei Hei1957
Governors Bay School1–8Governors Bay1868
Halswell School1–8Halswell1864
Harewood School1–6Harewood1862
Heathcote Valley School1–8Heathcote Valley1860
Heaton Normal Intermediate7–8Strowan1948
Hoon Hay School1–6Hoon Hay1959
Hornby Primary School1–6Hornby1895
Ilam School1–6Ilam1950
Isleworth School1–6Bishopdale1962
Kirkwood Intermediate7–8Upper Riccarton1959
Knights Stream School1–8Halswell2019
Linwood Avenue School1–6Linwood1928
Little River School1–8Little River1873
Lyttelton Primary School1–8Lyttelton2014
Mairehau School1–8Mairehau1953
Marshland School1–8Marshland1888
Merrin School1–8Avonhead1966
Mount Pleasant School1–8Mt Pleasant1928
Ngutuawa School1–8Woolston2020
Northcote School1–6Redwood1960
Oaklands School1–8Oaklands1964
Okains Bay School1–8Okains Bay1872
Opawa School1–8Opawa1872
Ouruhia Model School1–8Ouruhia1914
Papanui School1–6Papanui1871
Paparoa Street School1–6Papanui1953
Parkview School1–8Parklands1977
Queenspark School1–8Parklands1977
Rawhiti School1–8North New Brighton2015
Redcliffs School1–8Redcliffs1907
Redwood School1–6Redwood1969
Riccarton School1–8Upper Riccarton1873
Rowley Avenue School1–6Hoon Hay1973
Roydvale School1–6Burnside1967
Russley School1–8Russley1963
Shirley Intermediate7–8Shirley1934
Shirley Primary School1–6Shirley1916
Somerfield School1–6Somerfield1911
South Hornby School1–6Hornby1962
South New Brighton School1–8South New Brighton1922
Spreydon School1–6Spreydon1865
St Albans School1–6St Albans1873
St Martins School1–8St Martins1956
Sumner School1–8Sumner1876
Templeton School1–8Templeton1861
Te Waka Unua School1–8Woolston2015
Thorrington School1–6Cashmere1958
Tūora Fendalton School1–6Fendalton1875
Waimairi School1–6Strowan1914
Wairakei School1–6Bryndwr1950
Waitākiri Primary School1–6Burwood2014
Waltham School1–8Waltham1891
West Spreydon School1–6Spreydon1926
Westburn School1–8Ilam1962
Wharenui School1–8Riccarton1907
Whītau School1–6Linwood1908
Wigram Primary School1–6Wigram1955
Yaldhurst Model School1–8Yaldhurst1876

State secondary and composite schools

NameMOEYearsGenderLocationOpenedRollNotes
Akaroa Area School1–13CoedAkaroa1883
Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery1–13CoedCentral City2014Designated Character (s156)
Avonside Girls' High School9–13GirlsNorth New Brighton1919
Burnside High School9–13CoedBurnside1960
Cashmere High School9–13CoedSomerfield1956
Christchurch Boys' High School9–13BoysFendalton1881Boarding
Christchurch Girls' High School9–13GirlsRiccarton1877Boarding
Haeata Community Campus1–13CoedWainoni2017
Hagley College9–13CoedCentral City1858Designated Character (s156)
Hillmorton High School7–13CoedHillmorton1961
Hornby High School7–13CoedHornby1975
Mairehau High School9–13CoedMairehau1961
Papanui High School9–13CoedPapanui1936
Riccarton High School9–13CoedUpper Riccarton1958
Shirley Boys' High School9–13BoysNorth New Brighton1957
TKKM o Te Whanau Tahi1–13CoedSpreydon1990Kura Kaupapa Māori
TKKM o Whakapūmau1–13CoedWalthamKura Kaupapa Māori
Te Aratai College7–13CoedPhillipstown1954
Te Pā o Rākaihautū1–13CoedLinwood2015Kura ā Iwi. Designated Character (s156)

State-integrated schools

State-integrated schools 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.
NameMOEYearsGenderCategoryLocationOpenedRollNotes
Aidanfield Christian School1–10CoedChristianAidanfield
Catholic Cathedral College7–13CoedCatholicCentral City1987
Christ The King School1–8CoedCatholicBurnside1959
Christchurch Adventist School1–13CoedAdventistPapanui1925
Emmanuel Christian School1–10CoedChristianBishopdale
Hillview Christian School1–10CoedChristianSt 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 School1–8CoedCatholicHei Hei1962
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

NameMOEYearsGenderCategoryLocationOpenedRollNotes
Cathedral Grammar School1–8CoedAnglicanCentral City1881
Christ's College9–13BoysAnglicanCentral City1850Boarding
Jean Seabrook Memorial School1–8CoedRichmond
Medbury School1–8BoysIlam1923Boarding
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

Former schools

  • Aorangi School in Bryndwr closed on 27 January 2010, with pupils disbursing to other schools.
  • Birch Grove School – closed and merged with Mairehau School, April 2004
  • Branston Intermediate, state intermediate at Hornby, closed in January 2014 as part of state school network review; Hornby High School added Years 7 and 8 as a result. In July 2017, South Hornby School relocated to the former school site.
  • Burwood School, state contributing primary at Burwood, merged with Windsor School in January 2014 to form Waitakiri Primary School.
  • Central New Brighton School, state full primary in New Brighton, merged with Freeville School and North New Brighton School in January 2015 to form Rawhiti School.
  • Christchurch West High School, amalgamated with Technical High School in 1965 to become Hagley High School
  • Freeville School, state full primary in New Brighton, merged with Central New Brighton School and North New Brighton School in January 2015 to form Rawhiti School.
  • Glenelg Health Came School, Hillsborough – closed January 2012.
  • Glenmoor School, state contributing primary at Mairehau, closed in January 2014 as part of state school network review.
  • Hammersley Park School, state contributing primary in Shirley – closed voluntarily in January 2013 due to declining roll numbers and uneconomic costs to repair earthquake damage.
  • Kendal School, state contributing primary at Burnside, closed in January 2014 as part of state school network review.
  • Le Bons Bay School, state full primary on Banks Peninsula – closed voluntarily in January 2013 due to declining roll numbers.
  • Linwood Intermediate, state intermediate at Linwood, closed in January 2014 as part of state school network review; Linwood College added Years 7 and 8 as a result.
  • Lyttelton Main School, state full primary in Lyttelton, merged with Lyttelton West School in May 2014 to form Lyttelton Primary School.
  • Lyttelton West School, state full primary in Lyttelton, merged with Lyttelton Main School in May 2014 to form Lyttelton Primary School.
  • Manning Intermediate, state intermediate at Hoon Hay, closed in January 2014 as part of state school network review; Hillmorton High School added Years 7 and 8 as a result.
  • Marylands School
  • McKenzie Residential School, special school for learning and social difficulties in Russley, closed in January 2013.
  • North New Brighton School, state full primary in New Brighton, merged with Freeville School and Central New Brighton School in January 2015 to form Rawhiti School.
  • Our Lady of Fatima School, state-integrated Catholic full primary in Mairehau – merged with St Paul's School in January 2016 to form St Francis of Assisi Catholic School.
  • Phillipstown School, state full primary school in Phillipstown merged with Woolston School in January 2015 to form Te Waka Unua School.
  • Richmond School, state contributing primary at Richmond, closed in January 2014 as part of state school network review.
  • A private primary school was opened in 1861 by Edward Morgan in Halswell. Likely closed by 1863, as it was on the site of Craythorne's Hotel.
  • Sacred Heart College, opened 1959, amalgamated with Xavier College in 1987 to form Catholic Cathedral College.
  • St Joseph's School, Barbadoes St, Christchurch.
  • St Paul's School, state-integrated Catholic full primary in Dallington – school site was red-zoned after 2011 earthquake and temporarily moved to Edgeware; merged with Our Lady of Fatima School in January 2016 to form St Francis of Assisi Catholic School.
  • Sydenham School, once the largest school in New Zealand, stood on the corner of Colombo and Brougham Streets. Closed December 2000.
  • St Joseph's School, Lyttelton, closed January 2009.
  • Xavier College, opened 1945, amalgamated with Sacred Heart College in 1987 to form Catholic Cathedral College.
  • Windsor School, state contributing primary at Burwood, merged with Burwood School in January 2014 to form Waitakiri Primary School.
  • Woolston School, state full primary school in Woolston, merged with Phillipstown School in January 2015 to form Te Waka Unua School.

2013 state school network review

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.