Christchurch North College

Photo shows the entrance to Christchurch North College. The bulk of the image shows a driveway with a building in the background. At the bottom right of the image is a white sign with dark blue text reading 'Christchurch North College.

Credit: Christchurch North College

About Christchurch North College

Christchurch North College was established to provide a fresh start for students in the north of Christchurch who have found traditional education challenging. The school is smaller than traditional colleges and offers individual learning programmes and small classes to meet the individual needs of every student. 

 There is an emphasis on personal well-being, academic growth, and life skills. The learning approach offers a mix of hands-on learning, technology integration, and practical experiences. 

The sponsor is a Trust Board set up by two local intermediate school principals, a secondary school principal and a secondary school deputy principal.   

Key information

  • Language of instruction: English
  • Curriculum: New Zealand
  • Qualification: NCEA
  • Open date: Term 1 2025
  • Sponsor: Christchurch Education Limited 

Key links

Reporting

Read Christchurch North College's 2025 Public Annual Report

Rolls

The table below shows the establishment rolls and actual roll returns.

Roll type

Number of students

March 2025 roll return

14

March 2026 roll return

52

Establishment roll

45

Establishment rolls reflect expected enrolments in ‘Term 5’.

Establishment rolls are used for establishment funding (a one-off payment to cover set up costs) and some funding components in the first year. Both new state and charter schools receive establishment funding.

Learn more about rolls at charter schools

Performance thresholds and monitoring

All schools including charter schools are assigned an Equity Index number (EQI). This EQI determines the performance thresholds that charter schools are contracted to meet.

Learn more about the EQI 

In 2026 Christchurch North College, falls in the Moderate EQI group.

Christchurch North College is assessed against the following annual measures:

Measure

Performance threshold

Regular attendance

50%

Student achievement (Years 3-10) - reading

50%

Student achievement (Years 3-10) - writing and maths

35%

Student achievement (Years 11-13) 

80%

Achievement measures are the percentage of students achieving at or above the expected curriculum level.

A school’s first year is its baseline year. Schools are monitored against this baseline and their minimum performance thresholds. The Authorisation Board can step in if they are not meeting these thresholds.

Schools are expected not only to meet the minimum requirements but to keep improving and work towards the government’s overall education targets.

Read more about charter school performance

Application

Below is Christchurch Education Limited ’s original application to open its school. All sponsors must submit an application like this. It helps the Charter School Authorisation Board (CSAB) decide whether to approve a school. 

The application may not fully reflect how Christchurch North College operates today. This is because the school can change over time through further discussions with the CSAB, contract negotiations, the establishment process, and the staff and students involved.

Commercially sensitive details have been redacted.

Read the original application for Christchurch North College