Best secondary schools in Canterbury
58 secondary schools ranked by the SchoolsNearMe composite — a 5-axis score (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory) compared against EQI-band peers. Methodology.
Data refreshed from Education Counts 2026-05-27. Schools without enough data to score on the composite are omitted from this page but still appear in the directory.
- View profile →
87
/ 100 composite
Academic98Outcomes74Retention99Wellbeing—Trajectory63ERO review85 - 2Villa Maria College
Upper Riccarton · Secondary (Year 7-15) · 817 students · EQI <420 (most advantaged)
View profile →86
/ 100 composite
Academic97Outcomes73Retention99Wellbeing89Trajectory47ERO review85 - View profile →
86
/ 100 composite
Academic93Outcomes81Retention93Wellbeing—Trajectory58ERO review80 - View profile →
85
/ 100 composite
Academic96Outcomes74Retention96Wellbeing—Trajectory56ERO review84 - View profile →
85
/ 100 composite
Academic95Outcomes74Retention97Wellbeing—Trajectory60ERO review80 - 6Christchurch Girls' High School -Te Kura o Hine Waiora
Riccarton · Secondary (Year 9-15) · 1,301 students · EQI <420 (most advantaged)
View profile →83
/ 100 composite
Academic91Outcomes70Retention92Wellbeing98Trajectory55ERO review72 - View profile →
82
/ 100 composite
Academic—Outcomes—Retention—Wellbeing100Trajectory55ERO review81 - View profile →
80
/ 100 composite
Academic90Outcomes58Retention92Wellbeing99Trajectory58ERO review82 - 9Craighead Diocesan School
West End · Secondary (Year 7-15) · 415 students · EQI <420 (most advantaged)
View profile →80
/ 100 composite
Academic99Outcomes47Retention97Wellbeing90Trajectory60ERO review74 - View profile →
79
/ 100 composite
Academic87Outcomes66Retention92Wellbeing81Trajectory54ERO review85
View the remaining 48 ranked secondary schools in Canterbury
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About this ranking
SchoolsNearMe's composite combines five axes — academic achievement, post-school destinations, Y9→Y13 retention, wellbeing (low stand-down rate), and roll trajectory — into a single 0–100 score. The math compares each school against its EQI-band peers (12 bands covering NZ's socio-economic spread), so a school serving more disadvantaged students isn't unfairly penalised against schools serving the most-advantaged.
Schools below 30 students aren't given a rollup score (per-axis data is still on each profile). Schools without composite-eligible data don't appear on this page.
Source data: Education Counts (NCEA, retention, destinations, discipline, funding) · Ministry of Education (roll, EQI, identity).