Source: New Zealand Government
September’s roll return data tells us what we already knew; families want schooling options that reflect the needs of their children, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour.
Data released today shows that as of September 1, 2026, there were 1,965 students enrolled in 19 charter schools, up from 215 students when the first seven schools opened in 2025.
On 12 October 2026 Pakaraka School in Northland with 63 students became the first state school to convert to a charter school. With that conversion, as of yesterday, 2,117 students were enrolled in charter schools.
“These numbers show that diversity and choice in New Zealand’s schooling system is important to parents,” Mr Seymour says.
“On 1 July last year we had just seven schools. Today we’ve more than doubled that to 12 and more than seven times the number of students are enrolled.
“While the largest increase in enrolments occurred at the start of the school year, we’ve continued to see growth throughout the year. Families are changing schools when they find an option that better suits their child’s needs.
“At Christchurch North College, 33 more students have enrolled as of 1 September since March. These are college aged students moving to a new school. Any family who has made that choice for their children will know how hard it is. This is further evidence of how well charter schools are performing.
“Similarly, Te Rito-Te Kura Taiao in Northland has grown by 36 students since March and by more than 100 students since opening in Term 1 last year.
“Charter school students are attending and achieving more. In many cases the move to a charter school has been life changing for students and their families. A Labour led government would send all of these students back into the state system which wasn’t working for them. They should explain to the more than 2,000 students and their families why they know best.
“Charter schools show that education can be different if we let communities bring their ideas to the table.
“These schools have more flexibility in return for strictly measured results.
“The charter school equation is: the same funding as state schools, plus greater flexibility plus stricter accountability for results, equals student success.
“There are more ideas in the communities of New Zealand than there are in the Government. That’s why we open ideas to the wider community and apply strict performance standards to the best ones.
Official charter school rolls are captured on 1 March, 1 June, 1 July and 1 September each year.
The September 1 roll return is available here: https://www.charterschools.govt.nz/home/about-charter-schools/accountability-and-performance/charter-school-rolls/
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/10/22/charter-school-roll-surpasses-2100-students/