New Zealand School System

The New Zealand School System

Schooling in New Zealand starts at the age of 5. New Zealand children spend the first six years studying at the primary level and when they reach the age of eleven, they either pursue two more years at their primary school or at a specialist intermediate school.

This schooling phase is called the intermediate years and this precedes high school. At the age of 13, students go to high school and this is divided into two divisions - junior secondary and senior secondary.

The junior years are between years 9 to 11 and the remaining years form the final stage of schooling. In total NZ children spend 13 years in schooling.

The senior years are spent in pursuit of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA). Completion of this qualification is dependent on acquiring the required number of credits in study of certain subjects. This can potentially be a pathway for university entry and most university admissions are qualified high school graduates.

There is another option for senior students. They can leave school, after Year 11 or 12 to pursue training or vocational pursuits but this would disqualify them from university admission.

Hence, 6 years from primary schooling followed by two years of intermediate schooling culminate in 5 years of high schooling for a total of 13 years in the NZ education system.

The primary and intermediate stages of schooling emphasise basic literacy, numeracy and research skills. At the high school level, students are able to make subject choices such as history, geography and the sciences. This specialisation could form the basis for university entry into a particular of field of study.

Acceptance into a high school for international students is dependent on their English language ability and this will determine their subject choices and study level. If students are found wanting in the required English language standards, then they may be required to undertake.