Catholic schools named on top-50 list for global success

The list produced by Crimson Education ranked Baradene College from Auckland seventh on the list, up from tenth in 2025. Other Catholic schools on the list were Marist College (26th), St Peter’s College (Epsom, 27th), Sacred Heart College (Glendowie, 30th), St Mary’s College (Ponsonby, 31st), Carmel College (37th), Sancta Maria College (43rd) and Rosmini College (48th).

The top-ranked school was AGC Parnell, an Auckland private school, followed by Kristin School from the North Shore. Of the 50 named, private schools are heavily represented at the top – and Auckland dominated the rankings with 30 schools included in the list.

Crimson founder Jamie Beaton attributed the Super City’s prominence to a mix of migration, resources and culture.

“A lot of the migration of high-achieving academic students . . . has gone to Auckland,” he said.

He also pointed to strong academic cultures and access to extracurricular opportunities and university-level study.

“There’s a high concentration of competitive extracurriculars in Auckland . . . and that creates an achievement culture.”

Crimson, which is a university admissions consultancy, builds its rankings from a weighted formula. Academic performance makes up 70 per cent, with extracurricular and leadership opportunities worth 15 per cent and access and diversity another 15 per cent.

It also considers 2025-26 admission results to Ivy League and other top universities.

The extracurricular component, Mr Beaton said, is intended to capture the breadth of opportunities available to students beyond the classroom – from chemistry olympiads to robotics competitions – because top universities do not admit on grades alone.

Education researcher Alwyn Poole said parents should be wary of a ranking built on unpublished data. He said a better way to rank would be to show how many students from each school got into top universities.

Mr Poole argued that without that direct measure, the ranking lacks clarity. He added that the rankings’ focus on elite global universities risked narrowing how success is defined.

Mr Beaton said withholding raw data was standard practice for rankings organisations.

FULL STORY

School ranking list for global success attracts scrutiny (By Amelia Wade/The Post – subscription required)

Top 50 New Zealand High School Rankings 2025 (Crimson Education/Woodford House)