Top 70 Schools: University Entrance (UE) for LEAVERS
Top 70 Schools: University Entrance (UE) for LEAVERS
Three notes:
– The leavers data includes all students who begin a school year and leave during, or at the end of the year, from any Year level – and don’t enroll in another NZ school.
– The implication here is not that UE is the only valid school qualification – but it is the one that provides the most future options and, on average students leaving school with it earn significantly more:
(“Modelling done by the Ministry of Education in 2024 of earnings at age 30 showed income premiums for those attaining a Level 2 qualification, a Level 3 qualification or for meeting the requirements for University Entrance (UE). These were around $10,000 higher for learners with a Level 2 or Level 3 qualification and $23,000 higher for learners with UE compared to those with no qualifications.”: www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/208072/Indicator-NCEA-Level-3-2025.pdf)
– This list does not necessarily define NZ’s “best” schools and, in a future post, I will look at those improving fast. National mean was 42.8%.
| Rank | School | UE % |
| 1 | City Impact Church School | 100% |
| 2 | Diocesan School for Girls | 97.2 |
| 3 | Pinehurst School | 96.8 |
| 4 | Kristin School | 94.8 |
| 5 | St Hildas Collegiate | 94.7 |
| 6 | ACG Parnell College | 94.4 |
| 7 | Woodford House | 94.2 |
| 8 | Baradene College | 93.7 |
| 9 | Nga Tawa Diocesan | 93.5 |
| 10 | Craighead Diocesan | 92.7 |
| 11 | Samuel Marsden Collegiate | 92.5 |
| 12= | Rangi Ruru Girls School | 92.4 |
| 12= | St Cuthbert’s College | 92.4 |
| 12= | Hutt International Boys School | 92.4 |
| 15= | Carmel College | 91.5 |
| 15= | Iona College | 91.5 |
| 17 | Huanui College | 90.6 |
| 18= | Waikato Dio School for Girls | 90.5 |
| 18= | Queen Margaret College | 90.5 |
| 20 | King’s College | 90.1 |
| 21 | St Peter’s College (Epsom) | 89.6 |
| 22 | Scots College | 89.3 |
| 23 | St. Kentigern College | 89.1 |
| 24 | Manukau Christian School | 88.9 |
| 25 | St Catherines College (Kilbirnie) | 88.6 |
| 26 | St Andrew’s College | 87.2 |
| 27 | Marist College | 86.5 |
| 28 | Pukekohe Christian School | 86.4 |
| 29 | Springbank School | 85.7 |
| 30 | Wellington Girls College | 85.6 |
| 31 | Christ’s College | 85.4 |
| 32= | St Margaret’s College | 85.0 |
| 32= | Te Kura Maori o Nga Tapuwae | 85.0 |
| 34 | St Mary’s College (Ponsonby) | 84.7 |
| 35 | St Joseph’s Maori Girls College | 84.6 |
| 36 | Columba College | 84.5 |
| 37 | St Paul’s College (Ponsonby) | 84.1 |
| 38 | Auckland Girls Grammar School | 83.9 |
| 39= | Chilton St James School | 83.3 |
| 39= | St Oran’s College | 83.3 |
| 41 | Liston College | 83.2 |
| 42 | Westlake Girls’ High School | 83.0 |
| 43 | Lindisfarne College | 82.8 |
| 44 | Sancta Maria College | 82.7 |
| 45 | Aquinas College | 82.3 |
| 46 | Whitby Collegiate | 82.2 |
| 47 | Macleans College | 81.4 |
| 48 | Dilworth School | 81.3 |
| 49 | Westlake Boys’ High School | 79.9 |
| 50 | ACG Strathallan | 79.3 |
| 51 | ACG Sunderland | 79.1 |
| 52 | Christchurch Adventist School | 78.9 |
| 53 | St Dominic’s Catholic College | 78.2 |
| 54 | Villa Maria College | 77.9 |
| 55 | St Peter’s School (Cambridge) | 77.8 |
| 56 | Glendowie College | 77.6 |
| 57 | Kings Way School | 77.0 |
| 58 | Epsom Girls Grammar School | 76.8 |
| 59 | Wentworth College | 76.6 |
| 60 | Sacred Heart College (Auckland) | 76.5 |
| 61 | Elim Christian College (Mt Albert) | 76.3 |
| 62 | Wellington College | 75.8 |
| 63 | Auckland Grammar School | 75.6 |
| 64 | McAuley High School | 75.5 |
| 65 | Michael Park School | 75.0 |
| 66 | Takapuna Grammar School | 74.6 |
| 67 | Manukura | 74.5 |
| 68 | Rangitoto College | 74.1 |
| 69 | John McGlashan College | 74.1 |
| 70 | St Matthew’s Collegiate (M’ton) | 73.6 |
For those who want the full data set:
The seventeen sheets cover:
1. Base data by School Number
2. Base data by EQI
3. Listed by Size
4. Listed by L2 NCEA for leavers 2022 – 2025
5. Listed by L3 NCEA for leavers 2020 – 2025
6. Listed by UE for leavers 2018 – 2025
7. Listed by L3 NCEA to UE for leavers gap – 2028 – 2025
8. Listed by student retention until 17yo 2018 – 2025
9. Listed by Progression to L7+ degree study 2019 – 2024
10. Listed by UE results in EQI 10ths – 2021 – 2025
11. Listed by UE results with EQI coded – 2021 – 2025 (highlighted those doing well from higher EQI situations)
12. STATE only: Listed by UE results with EQI coded – 2021 – 2025
13. National Measures – Attendance & UE Means by EQI 10ths (2022 – 2025)
14. Broad Sector Measures – Overall, Ethnicity, Gender, School Governance, School Type, Geographical Area.
15. Boys’ School Groups (Super 8, South Island) – UE and Retention 2024 – 2025.
16. UE Data for 59 Impressive Improvers – 2023 – 2025.
17. Data Summary and Goal Setting Sheet for Schools to Use.
If you order the data for professional use I will send it immediately (with an invoice that can be paid in your payments cycle). The cost is $400+ GST.
For private use – a donation is a good thing – in recognition of the work and value.