Schools in Christchurch

School openings and closures in Christchurch

1 school is scheduled to open later, according to the Ministry of Education's school changes record.

Scheduled to open

Te Mātaitihi · Halswell — 1 Jan 2027

From the Ministry's school closures, mergers and new schools record (since 2025). Dates are the Ministry's effective dates and can change. All school changes in New Zealand →

Browse Christchurch schools by type

See how Christchurch's school system breaks down by level, from Contributing and Full Primary through to Secondary and Composite — each links to its own filtered list.

Full Primary schools 15

Secondary schools 8

Contributing schools 6

Composite schools 3

Other 2

Schools by location

The suburbs with the most schools on record in Christchurch, in our directory.

Opawa · 3 St Albans · 2 Sockburn · 2 Phillipstown · 2 Halswell · 2 Christchurch Central · 2 St Martins · 2 Papanui · 2 Barrington · 1 Richmond · 1 Redcliffs · 1 Merivale · 1

Equity Index in Christchurch

The Equity Index estimates the socio-economic barriers students face, on average. Higher values indicate higher estimated barriers — it is not a measure of school quality. Full methodology →

436

Average

376

Lowest

569

Highest

EQI statistics exclude schools without a current published EQI.

Fewest 9 schools (29%)

Few 8 schools (25.8%)

Below Average 5 schools (16.1%)

Average 5 schools (16.1%)

Above Average 1 schools (3.2%)

Many 1 schools (3.2%)

Most 2 schools (6.5%)

Find a school in Christchurch

Search, sort and narrow down every published school in Christchurch by type, authority or enrolment scheme.

Filter schools — type · authority · enrolment scheme · suburb

School	Suburb	Type	Roll	Equity Index	Enrolment scheme	Authority
St Mary's School (Christchurch) Co-Educational	—	Full Primary · Years 1–8	127	397	No scheme listed	State : Integrated
The Cathedral Grammar School Co-Educational	—	Full Primary · Years 1–8	254	—	No scheme listed	Private
Waimairi School Co-Educational	—	Contributing · Years 1–6	330	418	Zoned	State
Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School Co-Educational	Avonhead	Full Primary · Years 1–8	440	420	Zoned	State
Te Kura Tuarua o Horomaka Hillmorton High School Co-Educational	Barrington	Secondary · Years 7–15	1,415	467	Zoned	State
St Michael's Church School Co-Educational	Christchurch Central	Full Primary · Years 1–8	129	—	No scheme listed	Private
Te Puna Wai o Waipapa - Hagley College Co-Educational	Christchurch Central	Secondary · Years 9–15	1,966	468	Zoned	State
Knights Stream School- Mingimingi Hautoa Co-Educational	Halswell	Full Primary · Years 1–8	682	385	Zoned	State
Te Whānau o Ōtūmatua Co-Educational	Halswell	Specialist School	10	540	No scheme listed	State
Mastery Schools New Zealand - Arapaki Co-Educational	Hillsborough	Full Primary · Years 1–8	124	434	No scheme listed	Charter School
Our Lady of the Assumption School (Chch) Co-Educational	Hoon Hay	Full Primary · Years 1–8	335	401	Zoned	State : Integrated
Hornby High School Co-Educational	Hornby	Secondary · Years 7–15	1,015	489	Zoned	State
Selwyn House School Girls School	Merivale	Full Primary · Years 1–8	310	—	No scheme listed	Private
Marian College Girls School	Northcote-Christchurch	Secondary · Years 9–15	427	426	Zoned	State : Integrated
Rudolf Steiner School (Chch) Co-Educational	Opawa	Composite · Years 1–15	283	410	Zoned	State : Integrated
St Mark's School (Christchurch) Co-Educational	Opawa	Full Primary · Years 1–8	241	398	Zoned	State : Integrated
Te Kura o Ōpāwaho – Opawa School Co-Educational	Opawa	Full Primary · Years 1–8	376	463	Zoned	State
Ōuruhia Model School Co-Educational	Ouruhia	Full Primary · Years 1–8	20	445	Zoned	State
Papanui Primary School Co-Educational	Papanui	Contributing · Years 1–6	236	452	Zoned	State
Paparoa Street School Co-Educational	Papanui	Contributing · Years 1–6	341	398	Zoned	State
Catholic Cathedral College Co-Educational	Phillipstown	Secondary · Years 7–15	597	448	No scheme listed	State : Integrated
Te Aratai College Co-Educational	Phillipstown	Secondary · Years 7–15	1,239	507	Zoned	State
Te Raekura Redcliffs School Co-Educational	Redcliffs	Full Primary · Years 1–8	264	400	Zoned	State
Middleton Grange School Co-Educational	Riccarton	Composite · Years 1–15	1,395	404	Zoned	State : Integrated
Kingslea School Co-Educational	Richmond	Specialist School	117	569	No scheme listed	State
Our Lady of Victories Co-Educational	Sockburn	Full Primary · Years 1–8	263	376	Zoned	State : Integrated
Riccarton High School Co-Educational	Sockburn	Secondary · Years 9–15	1,110	440	Zoned	State
Cashmere High School Co-Educational	Somerfield	Secondary · Years 9–15	2,449	413	Zoned	State
Te Ara Koropiko West Spreydon School Co-Educational	Spreydon	Contributing · Years 1–6	283	445	Zoned	State
St Albans Catholic School (Christchurch) Co-Educational	St Albans	Contributing · Years 1–6	114	394	Zoned	State : Integrated

What "enrolment scheme" means

What a "Yes" or "No" in the enrolment scheme column actually determines for a family applying to a school in Christchurch.

A school with an enrolment scheme (a home zone) must enrol every child who lives inside it.
A school with no scheme listed can generally accept enrolments from anywhere.

Reading the Equity Index

Two quick things worth remembering when comparing EQI numbers across the table above.

A higher number means more estimated socio-economic barriers, not a "better" or "worse" school.
Private schools don't receive an Equity Index.

Planning around term dates?

Once you've found a school in Christchurch, check when term actually starts and finishes — most state schools across New Zealand follow the same national term structure, with only small regional variations.

When are the next school holidays? →

Data source

SourceNZ Schools Directory — Ministry of Education / Education Counts
Ministry data last checked15 October 2026