Charter Schools Show Early Gains in Student Attendance and Learning

The reports include attendance and academic performance data from the 2025 school year and are now publicly available for parents, communities and taxpayers to review.

The first public annual reports from New Zealand's charter schools have been released, offering an early look at how the new education model is performing since its return in 2025. Associate Education Minister David Seymour said the reports show encouraging progress, particularly among students who previously struggled with attendance or were falling behind academically. Of the seven original charter schools that opened last year, five exceeded their attendance targets, and five surpassed their achievement goals.

The reports include attendance and academic performance data from the 2025 school year and are now publicly available for parents, communities and taxpayers to review. According to Seymour, the results demonstrate what can happen when schools are given greater flexibility to tailor learning approaches to the needs of individual students.

Several schools exceed achievement targets in first year

Among the strongest performers was TIPENE, where initial assessments conducted in February 2025 showed more than half of students were below expected levels in mathematics, reading and writing. By the end of the year, 81 per cent of students were meeting or exceeding expectations in mathematics, while reading and writing achievement reached 79 per cent and 80 per cent respectively.

École Française Internationale Auckland also recorded results above Government targets for both attendance and academic achievement during its first year of operation. Twin Oaks, which opened in Term 3 of 2025, reported a regular attendance rate of 98 per cent in Term 1 this year, providing another example of strong student engagement.

Not every school met every target. Mastery School recorded more than a year's worth of improvement in English and mathematics among its students but fell short of its achievement threshold. Seymour said the school was created specifically to support young people who had become disengaged or were at risk of leaving education, making its early progress noteworthy despite missing formal benchmarks.

Focus remains on accountability and long-term improvement

Several charter schools were established to work with students facing significant barriers to education, including chronic absenteeism. Their reports show substantial gains even when attendance targets were not fully achieved. At Christchurch North College, where all students had previously disengaged from education, regular attendance increased from 28 per cent at the start of the year to 42 per cent by Term 4. The BUSY School New Zealand also reported major improvements. Before enrolling, students attending the school had an average attendance rate of just 19 per cent. That figure has now risen to 83 per cent.

Seymour said charter schools are expected to maintain high standards in exchange for greater autonomy over how they use public funding. Annual public reporting forms part of a wider accountability framework designed to ensure schools remain focused on improving student outcomes. Schools that fail to make meaningful progress may be required to implement improvement plans. Continued underperformance could ultimately lead to intervention from the Authorisation Board, including the possibility of a school's contract being terminated. The Government says these first reports provide an important measure of transparency while helping build confidence in the charter school system as it continues to expand.