Demographics of New Zealand - Education

Education

Education follows the three-tier model, which includes primary schools, followed by secondary schools (high schools) and tertiary education at universities or polytechnics. The Programme for International Student Assessment ranked New Zealand's education as the seventh highest in 2009 . The Education Index, published with the UN's 2008 Human Development Index and based on data from 2006, listed New Zealand at 0.993, tied for first with Denmark, Finland and Australia.

Primary and secondary schooling is compulsory for children aged 6 to 16, with the majority attending from the age of 5. Early leaving exemptions may be granted to 15 year old students that have been experiencing some ongoing difficulties at school or are unlikely to benefit from continued attendance. Parents and caregivers can home school their children if they obtain approval from the Ministry of Education and prove that that their child will be taught "as regularly and as well as in a registered school". There are 13 school years and attending public schools is free.

The academic year in New Zealand varies between institutions, but generally runs from late January until mid-December for primary and secondary schools and polytechnics, and from late February until mid-November for universities. New Zealand has an adult literacy rate of 99 percent, and over half of the population aged 15 to 29 hold a tertiary qualification. In the adult population 14.2 percent have a bachelor's degree or higher, 30.4 percent have some form of secondary qualification as their highest qualification and 22.4 percent have no formal qualification.