Student population heads to 2006 peak

The school roll increased by nearly 2 per cent this year compared with a year ago, to 761,755 students at the end of July.

The increase was most marked in the secondary sector (years 9-15), where numbers rose by 3.5 per cent.

Education Minister Trevor Mallard said this was consistent with the population bulge that is moving through the secondary sector and is expected to peak in 2006 before dropping.

The survey also shows that the number of foreign fee-paying students continues to rise.

A 14 per cent increase means 17,448 foreign fee paying students are now attending New Zealand schools.

The Auckland area showed the highest overall growth rate and nearly a third of students now go to school in the region.

The Bay of Plenty and Canterbury (except Banks Peninsula, Timaru and Waitaki) also showed roll growth.

Other points in the survey are:

* At July this schools schools totalled 2693 - 2177 primary and intermediate, 469 secondary and composite and 47 special schools.

* The number of European/Pakeha and other European students decreased by just under 1 per cent and the number of Maori increased by just over 3 per cent. Pacific student numbers increased by 4 per cent.

* The number of Asian students rose by 14 per cent and this group now makes up about 7.5 per cent of the domestic school population (that figure does not include foreign fee-paying students).

* Just under 29,100 students took part in Maori medium education, an increase of 4.4 per cent since last year.

* A quarter of all Maori year one students had attended kohanga reo.

* About 91 per cent of all year one students had attended some form of early childhood education before starting school.

* Of the 14-year-old students in July 2001, an estimated 82 per cent were still at school at age 16 this year.

* The total number of vacancies for full-time permanent teachers has decreased by nearly 18 per cent since July last year.

- NZPA