House prices force pupils to go private
By RACHEL GRUNWELL - Sunday Star Times | Sunday, 4 February 2007

Astronomical house prices in sought-after school zones are driving parents to private schooling.

They are finding the cost of private fees is often cheaper than buying inflated real estate in popular public school zones.,

As 756,000 children head back to school this week, a growing number are going private - following a trend in Australia.

Many of these families had felt defeated by over-priced houses in popular state school zones, as well as long waiting lists and unreliable ballots, said Joy Quigley, executive director of Independent Schools of NZ.

She said 30,000 children would be in 105 private schools this year - up from 25,000 in 2000. These figures do not include two new private Auckland schools opening this year, one in Mangere and another in Waitakere; a private Parnell college almost tripling its roll to about 1000 pupils; and the 66,000 students at Catholic schools.

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