Compare schools
Compare Schools NZ — Side by Side
Put up to five New Zealand schools next to each other — type, year levels, roll, EQI and enrolment zones — free, no sign-up.
Start with a ready-made comparison
Not sure where to begin? Open one of these and swap in your own schools.
How to compare New Zealand schools
The comparison above uses the Ministry of Education's own directory: school type, the year levels each one teaches, roll size, coeducation, governing authority, the Equity Index and whether the school runs an enrolment scheme. Those facts are the same for every family, so they are free here.
The rest depends on your address. Whether you are in zone, how long the trip actually takes at 8am, how each school's NCEA results move against the national rate, and what its latest ERO report says are the things that separate two schools that look alike in a table. A BoundFor report answers those for the schools you picked.
Always confirm zone eligibility directly with the school before making an enrolment or property decision. Zone boundaries change, and BoundFor accepts no liability for decisions made on this information.
Frequently asked questions
How do you compare schools in New Zealand?
Start with the facts that are the same for every school — type, year levels, roll, coeducation, authority and whether it runs an enrolment zone. Then check what depends on where you live: zone eligibility and the daily commute. This page covers the first half free, for up to five schools at once.
Is EQI a school quality rating?
No. The Equity Index reflects the socioeconomic barriers faced by a school's students and helps inform its funding. Higher numbers mean greater barriers, not a worse school. Two schools with very different EQI numbers can teach equally well.
Do enrolment zones matter more than league tables?
For most families, yes. New Zealand does not publish school league tables, and a home zone decides which schools your child can enrol at as of right. A school you cannot enrol at is not really on your shortlist, so check zone eligibility for your address before comparing anything else.
How do you read NCEA results when comparing schools?
Read them as a trend against the national rate for the same level, not as a single pass percentage. A raw rate tracks a school's intake as much as its teaching, and a small cohort moves the number a long way. BoundFor reports chart each school's NCEA levels against the national comparison over time.
Next: check a school zone by address, explore schools near you, or see a sample report.
Contains information sourced from the New Zealand Ministry of Education, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0).