Charter school enrolments have increased sharply over the past year, with 1,732 students now attending 17 schools across New Zealand.
Roll return data released on Friday shows the figures as of 1 July 2026, compared with seven charter schools operating at the same point last year.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour said the growth indicated demand from families for alternatives within the education system.
“In some cases, demand is even higher than we expected,” Seymour said, adding that some charter school sponsors were reporting more enrolment interest than they could accommodate.
He said Northwest College in Auckland had moved into a larger building in response to increasing enrolments, while Twin Oaks School, which opened in Term 3 last year, had also moved to larger premises.
Seymour also pointed to attendance and academic performance among the first seven charter schools established in early 2025. According to the Government, five are exceeding their attendance targets and five are exceeding achievement targets.
At TIPENE, initial assessments in February 2025 found more than half of students were below expected levels in mathematics, reading and writing. By the end of the year, the school reported 81 per cent were achieving at or above the expected level in mathematics, 79 per cent in reading and 80 per cent in writing.
Seymour said the charter model gives schools greater operational flexibility while subjecting them to stricter performance measures.
“These schools have more flexibility in return for strictly measured results,” he said.
Two additional charter schools opened this term, with another two expected to begin operating early next year. Seymour said he expected enrolments in the sector to continue growing.
Image credit: Debbie Hudson
Bet homeschooling increased more.