Zone Out: The growth of co-ed secondary schools

Friday, 28 March 2025

Wellington High School is busting at the seams as its roll has continued to grow as the only co-ed school in Wellington city, principal Dominic Killalea says.

This week, The Post is looking at the relationship between housing affordability and school zoning in Wellington. Today, in the final instalment in our Zone Out series, Hanna McCallum reports on changes in secondary school rolls with a significant growth of co-ed schools and how they are preparing for their future roll projections.

Wellington High School principal Dominic Killalea remembers having a conversation with the Ministry of Education eight years ago about why there isn’t another co-ed high school in central Wellington.

And that was before the school had really experienced its “massive growth”, he says.

Wellington High School has seen a 58% increase in its school roll between 2014 and 2024 from 1028 students to 1621. It now has 1680 students.

The school is among the fastest growing secondary schools in the Wellington region over the last decade.

According to Real Estate Institute of New Zealand data, the median house price in Wellington High School’s zone was $915,000 in July 2024. This compared with a median of $765,000 across the whole region.

Of a growth of 681 students at inner city secondary schools, 571 had gone to Wellington High School, Killalea says.

Of a growth of 681 students at inner city secondary schools, 571 have gone to Wellington High School in the last 10 years.

It is filled to the brim. Staff have had to rethink how to use existing spaces like its marae kitchen and roof space, as well as the back of the library, as classrooms.

“It's a nice problem to have – that we would have so many people that want to send their kids here, but it is hard to accommodate them.”

The ministry added 11 classrooms, plus an extra repurposed space to accommodate the growth – but even with 12 additional rooms, it is still 15 short.

Killalea has been given the go-ahead to continue planning for a new block, which he hopes will have funding approved with construction starting later this year to be ready for the start of 2027.

It will make a “big difference”, he says. “But in the meantime, we just use spaces that we can.”

Its zone meets the boundaries of Onslow College’s so families living in the area always have an option for a co-ed school. Wellington High School hardly took any out-of-zone students because its growth was nearly all in-zone.

St Patrick's College Kilbirnie Wellington principal Mike Savali says high house and rental prices in Wellington, as well as the cost of living is having an impact on his school roll as a state integrated school.

Killalea believes it being a co-ed, non-uniform school, is part of its attraction; signalling a shift in society from traditional education models.

Other growing schools include Newlands College, Hutt Valley High School, Rongotai, Aotea , Paraparaumu, Heretaunga and Kuranui Colleges.

On the other hand, many single-sex, state integrated schools were among the fastest shrinking, including St Matthew's Collegiate in Masterton, St Catherine’s College in Kilbirnie, St Mary's College in Wellington, St Patrick's College in Kilbirnie, St Patrick's College in Silverstream and Bishop Viard College.

Other shrinking secondary schools are Tawa College, Taita College, Wainuiomata High School and Mākoura College in Masterton.

St Patrick’s College in Kilbirnie, which is unzoned, went from 810 students in 2014 to 745 in 2024.

Principal Mike Savali says the roll has varied with ebbs and flows and though the decrease has not been significant, it is an issue.

Solway College principal Janine Tupaea says her school in Masterton had its roll cap increased and still has a growing wait list.

It highlighted house and rental prices in Wellington as well cost-of-living struggles. Fees for state-integrated faith-based schools can sometimes top $5000 or more per year, which can be unaffordable, even for parents who ascribe to that particular faith.

The fees were $1600 at the college.

“If we've got families that are struggling financially and very challenged, that's going to make it really difficult for them to come into the school,” Savali says.

It took 5% of non-preference students – those who do not have religious affiliations, which was capped by the Ministry of Education.

But in Savali’s view, what attracts students and whānau to the school is its sports, diversity, its high academic achievement rates and faith- driven, community-orientated approach to education.

A reduction in school rolls at Catholic primary schools is something he is conscious of but there has also been a growing migrant roll with many Filipino and Pasfika students who are Christian.

The school is a small girls, Christian boarding school with students attending from all around the country.

Bucking the trend, Masterton’s Solway College is a fast-growing state integrated girls’ boarding school. It experienced a 50% increase from 133 to 200 students in a decade.

Its capped roll, based on its state integration agreement, was increased from 175 to 200 last year after it quickly reached the cap with a growing wait list.

Principal Janine Tupaea says the drive behind the roll increase is its small class sizes, 100% achievement rates for NCEA level 1, 2 and 3, and high literacy and numeracy rates sitting at 90%.

“We're a small, girls, Christian boarding school with a family atmosphere, and we believe in a holistic education which is what our special character is about.”

Despite being a small school, it has a large number of programme pathways with customised timetables and individual learning plans.

A portion of its students are from Masterton with a minimum of two nights’ boarding required a week, it also attracts pupils from as far away as Christchurch, Dunedin, Auckland, and Chatham Islands.

Its fees range from $12,094 for two-day boarding to $24,324 for full boarding.

Mana College principal Jeff Chapman hopes his roll will continue to grow as it has quickly recovered from being put into statutory management 10 years ago.

Mana College, another fast growing secondary school, had undergone significant changes in management over the last 10 years.

In 2015, the school was put into statutory management with a roll that had at one point fallen to below 300.

Under previously appointed principal, John Murdoch, the roll almost doubled, with a constant mark of at least 500 students over the last four years.

Homes in its zone are comparatively affordable, at $725,000.

Last year saw the biggest year 9 intake it has had in a long time, principal Jeff Chapman says.

He expects another large cohort to join in a couple of years when a bigger group of current year 7s at the local intermediate school head to high school.

He does not think the growth is a reflection of more people moving to Porirua, instead local people sending their children to local schools.

“More kids are going to the local intermediate, more kids are coming here and we’re hoping, because our teaching, our school is getting better, the reputation is getting better.”

A new block, Te Urukahika, with a capacity of 650 students opening in May, will allow them to have more capacity to grow, Chapman says.

“It’s been tough over the last few years because of the build, we’ve had to reduce down in shared classrooms and all sorts of things so it’ll be a big pressure release for us.”

His goal is to be at capacity in five years time and anticipates it will be the case.

Local kids deserve to go to the local schools “because they should be amazing”, he says. “That's why I'm in this job.”