# Schools in Hamilton - advice needed!



## 30daystogo (Sep 27, 2016)

Hi,

I am due to move to Hamilton with my family from the UK towards the end of October to study at the University of Waikato.

My two children have just started years 8 and 9 in the UK so I've been doing some research into schools in Hamilton - from what I can see they will be going into years 7 and 9 when we get to NZ and them moving into years 8 and 10 from January.

They would like to go to the same school (both understandably a bit anxious about not knowing anyone!) but I'm not sure whether there are any good schools that cover both year groups??

Ideally, I'd like to at least start the enrolment process before we move so that they can get settled and start meeting people before the long break over Christmas.

Any advice as to the best schools to look at would be really appreciated. I'd also welcome any general guidance as to the areas of Hamilton to go for when we're looking for rental property.

Thanks


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

If schooling is very important to you then that will determine where you can and cannot live.
Majority of schools in Hamilton and across NZ are zoned, so to guarantee a place at your chosen school you and your children must live in the school catchment area or zone. There is sometimes possibility of an out of zone place, but you would need to apply and your children will be on a list by priority and they would be at the bottom being immigrants - i.e. no siblings at the school etc.

Have a look at this link and the table at the bottom. Does answer a few questions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_New_Zealand

You can check out schools by their ERO Reports, however these are done every 5 years so unless it's a recent report you may not be getting the most up to date info of how the school is performing.
There is also something called the Decile Rating which is a score given to a school between 1 and 10. The higher the score the less funding the school receives per child from the government. The Decile Rating is calculated depending on local census data and measures the families of the children that attend the schools, their parents education, jobs, income, how many people living in the house etc, so if for example the surroundings or catchment area of a school is particularly good quality and high value property then you'd expect the Decile Rating to be high. On the other end of the scale if the school is in a low socio-economic area then you'd expect the score to be low. The Decile Rating has no bearing on how the school or the teachers perform at all.
School isn't free in NZ. The state schools are considered free but here's always something to pay. All schools will have compulsory fees and usually also a voluntary fee but I'm only talking maybe $300 per year. On top of tis you'll have to pay for uniforms, maybe stationary, any school trips and wot not, any before school / after school clubs if available. Our boy is at a decile 10 school in Tauranga and the school makes a point of regularly telling parents how much they are losing per year because of the high decile rating which they have no control over. This means a lot of funding has to come from us the parents so even though our compulsory and voluntary fees are maybe $250 per year we are expected to raise funds for the school pretty much regularly throughout the year at a number of events.

Sorry, can't really point you in the right direction of schools in Hamilton. It's a big place and there are many good schools there.


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## shibjose14 (Oct 1, 2016)

we just moved from Hamilton to Stoke on Trent after spending 6 years. Feel free to call me for any help. Joseph <SNIP>


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## inhamilton (Jun 10, 2011)

As you're going to be studying at Waikato University, you may as well live nearby. Hillcrest High School probably has the best reputation of any school in Hamilton. People will try and move into the Hillcrest Area (where the University is) so their kids will be eligible for the school. It's a co-ed school with uniform. Consistently at or near the top of academic performance of Waikato Schools. Hamilton Boys High is also near the university. And there's also St John's College (a catholic High School right next to the University) which has a good reputation. I would have no hesitation in recommending any of those 3.


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