How does your school rate? New analysis of 500 colleges’ NCEA results ranked against house prices

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Want to know which top-performing high schools are close to affordable housing? The Herald’s Ben Leahy is back with the latest analysis showing 469 schools’ NCEA achievement rates alongside housing costs in their areas.

Wellington Girls’ College had the highest NCEA achievement rate of 2024 among large state schools at 93% – while buying a home in its school zone costs almost half the price of Auckland’s top schools.Half of Auckland’s zoned state schools now sit in zones with an average house price of more than $1 million – while Wellington delivers similar NCEA results with house costs at roughly $764,000 on average.Girls’ schools are among the nation’s best options, averaging higher achievement rates than boys’ or co-ed schools – and at lower average zone prices than co-ed schools.

Wellington Girls’ College has established itself as one of the nation’s smartest choices for parents for the second year running, according to an exclusive Herald analysis.

At the school, 93% of its students achieved NCEA Level 3 in 2024 – the highest achievement rate of any large state school in the country – up from 91% the year before.

And with a house typically costing $870,000 inside its inner-Wellington school zone, it is a more affordable place to buy than in the zones of most other high-achieving schools.

Several of Wellington’s leading state schools and their zones are close to the city, where smaller houses and apartments offer cheaper housing.

Wellington is also home to two more affordable, high-achieving schools – Wellington College (85%) and Wellington East Girls’ College (79%), both in catchments with median house prices below $900,000.

By comparison, homes close to Auckland’s top-performing state schools typically cost well above $1 million.

Auckland Girls’ Grammar School stands out as an exception, however – it achieved an 81% achievement rate from a zone costing just $749,000, a fraction of the $1.28m average price inside neighbouring Auckland Grammar’s zone.

Among girls’ state schools that have zones, the average achievement rate was 66%, while average house prices were $815,000.

Boys’ state schools averaged 58% and $799,000, and co-ed schools 52% and $847,000.

Five state schools across the country stand out for a golden combination – achieving at least a 70% pass rate in a zone with houses typically costing less than $800,000.

They are: Wellington College, Auckland Girls’ Grammar, Napier Girls’ High School, Cashmere High School in Christchurch and Palmerston North Girls’ High School.

The results can be seen in the tables below, which show schools with the highest achievement rates in different house price bands: below $1.5m, below $1m, below $800,000 and below $600,000.

The findings focus on state schools, but the analysis includes private and integrated schools.

Iona College in Havelock North, Hawke’s Bay, is for the second year running among the standouts for results and housing affordability for fee-paying schools. Of its 48 graduating students in 2024, 96% achieved NCEA Level 3.

Parents of day students wanting to live nearby can typically buy in surrounding suburbs for about $710,000.

Similarly, Craighead Diocesan School in Timaru achieved a 94% achievement rate from 66 graduates, with nearby homes selling for a median of $552,000. Woodford House, also in Havelock North, achieved 94% from 47 graduates.

NCEA Level 3 achievement rates versus house prices for 469 schools

The main interactive table below shows NCEA achievement rates for 469 schools cross-referenced with house prices – because parents often consider academic performance and house prices in conjunction.

House prices don’t necessarily relate to school quality, however. Low house prices can indicate a higher concentration of apartments in the zone, or smaller homes and sections.

Burnside High School in Christchurch appears as one of the most affordable high performing state schools with a 73% achievement rate and house prices of $880,000 in its zone.

For a more in-depth look at how schools performed academically in 2024, read the Herald’s NCEA analysis here.

State schools are obliged to provide free education to every child living within their catchment zones and do not always have room for those outside their boundaries.

Parents may consequently have a preferred state school but be prevented from sending their child there because of high house prices.

The Herald and Valocity have calculated house prices for all schools with zones defined by the Ministry of Education by taking into account every street inside their catchments.

For schools without zones, we calculated the median house price for the suburb where the school is located and each suburb surrounding it.

The prices are the median price since the middle of last year.

The achievement rate in the table shows the percentage of students aged 16 or over who left each school in 2024 with an NCEA level 3 certificate.

This so-called leavers rate is the measure typically used by the Ministry of Education.

Choralation – the combined choir from Westlake Boys’ and Girls’ high schools. Both schools feature among lists of high-achieving state schools. Photo / Gino Demeer

House prices under $1.5m

Highly regarded public schools Westlake Girls’ High School (86%), Westlake Boys (84%) and Rangitoto College (83%) achieved the highest 2024 NCEA achievement rates among big state schools in Auckland.

However, their zones have typical house prices between $1.3m and $1.5m.

Elsewhere, some schools achieved similar or higher achievement rates in locations where housing is much cheaper.

That included the Wellington schools mentioned above and Napier Girls’ High School, which had an 80% achievement rate in a zone with typical homes costing $710,000, almost half the price of the two Westlake schools in Auckland.

Christchurch Girls’ High School also stood out as the South Island’s highest-achieving state school at 81%, with a zone price of $885,000.

House prices under $800,000

The under-$800,000 bracket contains some of the smartest choices in the country.

It is the “golden combination” zone mentioned above – containing the five schools that achieved at least a 70% achievement rate while sitting in zones costing under $800,000.

Those schools are Wellington College (85%, $773,500), Auckland Girls’ Grammar (81%, $749,000), Napier Girls’ High School (80%, $710,000), Cashmere High School in Christchurch (73%, $759,000) and Palmerston North Girls’ High School (71%, $790,000).

Outside those five, Otago Girls’ High School in Dunedin achieved a 66% achievement rate in a $650,000 median zone – one of the South Island’s most affordable options.

Southland Girls’ High School in Invercargill achieved a 65% achievement rate in what was the country’s cheapest state school zone at $390,000.

Auckland Girls’ Grammar School is one of five state schools with achievement rates above 70% and houses in their zone with median prices below $800,000.

House prices under $600,000

For families on tighter budgets, the options narrow but don’t disappear.

Southland Girls’ High School’s 65% achievement rate is the highest among schools in zones costing less than $600,000.

Homes near the Invercargill school typically cost just $390,000.

Tolaga Bay Area School on the East Cape achieved a 61% achievement rate with a median house price of $415,000, while Logan Park High School in Dunedin achieved 58% at $595,000.

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