Revealed: Top New Zealand schools for getting into world’s best universities
Suzanne Winthrop is both chuffed and utterly unsurprised to hear the news.
The principal of Auckland’s St Cuthbert’s College for Girls says while it’s fabulous her school has been ranked the country’s top for student achievement, it’s also no shock.
“We make the claim we’re the top girls’ academic school, and we are.”
St Cuthbert’s has beaten 50 schools assessed by private tutoring company Crimson Education for giving students the best shot at getting into the world’s leading universities.
Last year’s winner ACG Parnell College dropped to third place, while Kristin School rose one spot to claim second.
Eight of the top 10 schools are in Auckland, and private and single-sex schools once again dominate the list.
In this sixth annual ranking, publicly available data from the 2022 academic year was used to evaluate academic performance, extracurricular and leadership opportunities, and access and diversity.
Crimson says these factors contribute to students' chances at universities like Princeton, Oxford and Cambridge.
“St Cuthbert’s has a notable track record for placing their students at top universities, including four students who accepted offers to Oxford and Cambridge in the 2022/2023 application round.”
Winthrop says what sets her school apart is its holistic approach to education: students are encouraged to not only succeed academically, but also in sports and the arts.
The school has just won the NZ Secondary Schoolgirls Premier Water Polo Championships, and last year won the hockey championship.
The school also has a strong service programme through which students work for their communities.
“Our girls have an obligation to give back. They’re not necessarily all wealthy but they’ve had a privileged education, and they know that.
“They can make a real difference by using their abilities and that responsibility.”
Winthrop says what she loves most about the students is their confidence – something she’s not seen elsewhere.
“They have the confidence to do what they want, and it’s so important to have that when they leave school.
“It’s still a battlefield for young women in the workforce; they need to be able to stand up and account for themselves.”
This year’s top 10 is made up of seven private schools, and three either state-funded or integrated state schools.
Four single-sex girls’ schools feature, while eight of the top 10 offer an international education qualification.
Auckland Grammar School jumped four places from last year’s list and now ranks 10th; pushed up by its student’s achievements in the Cambridge International Examinations.
Rangi Ruru Girls’ High School also entered this year’s prestigious top 10 after two students received admission to Stanford and Princeton in the 2022/23 application round.
Stephanie Barnett, Rangi Ruru’s acting principal, says she’s immensely proud of her school leavers’ wide variety of achievements.
“As the Crimson rankings reflect, a number obtained entrance and scholarships to some of the world’s top universities; also impressive are the many who have chosen
pathways such as apprenticeships, primary industries, or defence.
“The most important thing we can do for our ākonga is provide them with options to choose the pathway which will work best for them and their own version of success.”
Further down the list, other big jumps came from Wellington College, up seven places from last year to rank at 29, and Havelock North’s Iona College up 8 to come in at 31. Hutt International Boys’ School now ranks at 32, a jump of nine places.
Crimson Education CEO and co-founder Jamie Beaton says education “is the most powerful long-term driver of Aotearoa’s productivity and GDP growth.
“These rankings ... recognise the schools which best prepare Kiwi students to go global, get into the best universities and compete on the world stage.”