Search for the best international schools in New Zealand; you can find a list of selected schools at the bottom of this page. Use the search filters to select only girls' or boys' schools, prep schools, senior schools or sixth forms; or you can search for schools that offer a particular curriculum, such as the International Baccalaureate, the UK national curriculum, a US-style model or the International Primary Curriculum.
Remote, high-income, English-speaking and blessed with a beautiful natural environment, New Zealand is actively developing a market for international education within its school, college and university sectors.
A total of 17,927 international students were enrolled at schools in New Zealand in 2015, including 15,408 at secondary level and 2,519 at primary and intermediate level, according to a study by Education New Zealand. The majority attended schools in the Auckland region, with others studying in or around Wellington and Christchurch.
New Zealand has publicly-funded state schools and state-integrated schools, with the latter being mainly Catholic and charging low “attendance dues”, as well as fee-charging private schools that receive some government subsidies. While international students – mainly drawn from China, South Korea and Japan - attend all types of school, the term international school is rarely used.
New Zealand’s 25 IB World Schools, which include 13 authorised to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma, are spread across the private and state sectors. The IB Diploma is typically offered alongside New Zealand’s National Certificate of Educational Achievement in both types of school.
More than half of the country’s IB World Schools are members of the Association of Australasian International Baccalaureate Schools, which provides institutional support and promotes understanding of IB education across the region.
Most leading private schools are members of the Independent Schools of New Zealand group. They include boarding establishments, single-sex schools, religious foundations, primary and secondary institutions and “composite schools” that serve all age groups. Coeducational day schools predominate.
Several private, senior secondary colleges that target international students have been set up over recent years.
The New Zealand school year runs from late January to mid-December. Education is compulsory from age six to 16 and schooling is free to citizens and permanent residents from age five to 19. Gross enrolment exceeds 100 per cent of the primary and secondary age group and is more than 80 per cent for tertiary education.
If you are looking specifically for International Baccalaureate World Schools in New Zealand, you can find selected schools on our sister website: www.ibyb.org.
12 Winchester Street,
Merivale,
Christchurch,
8014,
New Zealand
Girls, Boarding, Day, Preparatory, Senior.
Read more about St Margaret's College
2 Titoki Street and 39 George Street,
Parnell, PO Box 9825, Newmarket,
Auckland,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Day, Pre-Preparatory, Preparatory, Senior, Sixth Form.
Hayfield Way,
RD1 Papakura,
Auckland,
2580,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Day, Pre-Preparatory, Preparatory, Senior, Sixth Form.
6 Waipareira Avenue,
Henderson,
Waitakere City 0610,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Day, Pre-Preparatory, Preparatory, Senior, Sixth Form.
6 Keenan Road,
Pyes Pa,
Tauranga,
3173,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Day, Nursery, Pre-Preparatory, Preparatory, Senior.
21 Domain Road,
Panmure,
Auckland,
1072,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Day, Preparatory, Senior.
37 Heaphy Street,
Blockhouse Bay,
Auckland 0600,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Boarding, Day, Senior, Sixth Form.
PO Box 30090,
Lower Hutt,
5040,
New Zealand
Girls, Day, Nursery, Pre-Preparatory, Preparatory, Senior, Sixth Form.
PO Box 35 211,
North Shore City,
Albany 0753,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Day, Preparatory, Senior.
PO Box 76201,
Manukau,
2241,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Day, Preparatory, Senior.
Clyde Street,
Epsom,
Auckland,
1051,
New Zealand
Girls, Boarding, Day, Pre-Preparatory, Preparatory, Senior, Sixth Form.
PO Box 134,
Tuakau,
2342,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Day, Preparatory, Senior.
328 Ngunguru Road,
RD 3,
Whangarei 0173,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Day, Senior, Sixth Form.
2 Pilkington Street,
Maori Hill,
Dunedin,
9010,
New Zealand
Boys, Boarding, Day, Senior.
360 Albany Highway,
Albany, Auckland 0632,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Day, Pre-Preparatory, Preparatory, Senior, Sixth Form.
77 Rogers Road,
Manurewa,
Auckland,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Day, Pre-Preparatory, Preparatory, Senior, Sixth Form.
PO Box 302-308,
North Harbour,
North Shore City 0751,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Day, Pre-Preparatory, Preparatory, Senior, Sixth Form.
53 Hobson Street, PO Box 12274,
Thorndon,
Wellington,
6011,
New Zealand
Girls, Boarding, Day.
PO Box 28790,
Remuera, Auckland,
1541,
New Zealand
Boys, Day, Pre-Preparatory, Preparatory.
130 Pakuranga Road,
Pakuranga, Auckland,
1021,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Boarding, Day, Senior, Sixth Form.
PO Box 28399,
Remuera,
Auckland,
1541,
New Zealand
Girls, Day, Pre-Preparatory, Preparatory.
PO Box 15064,
Strathmore, Wellington,
6243,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Boarding, Day, Pre-Preparatory, Preparatory, Senior, Sixth Form.
PO Box 25049,
122 Merivale Lane,
Christchurch,
8014,
New Zealand
Girls, Boarding, Day.
PO Box 404,
Kerikeri 0293,
New Zealand
Co-educational, , Pre-Preparatory, Preparatory, Senior, Sixth Form.
13 Dufferin Street,
PO Box 7445,
Wellington,
6021,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Day.
23 Mountain Road,
Grafton,
Auckland,
1023,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Day, Senior.
1716 Hamilton Road,
Private Bag 884,
Cambridge,
3450,
New Zealand
Co-educational, Boarding, Day.