Rangiora High School is a state co-educational secondary school located in Rangiora, New Zealand. Established in 1881 by an act of parliament and opened in 1884, the school has a roll of students from years 9 to 13 as of
Enrolment
Rangiora High School operates an enrolment scheme to help curb roll numbers and prevent overcrowding. The school's home zone, in which students residing are automatically entitled to be enrolled, covers much of the central Waimakariri District and the southern Hurunui District. Students residing outside the zone are sometimes accepted, as roll places allow in accordance with the enrolment scheme order of preference. At the March 2012 Education Review Office review of the school, the school had 1789 students enrolled, including 44 international students. The school roll's gender composition was 49% male and 51% female, and its ethnic composition was 85% New Zealand European, 10% Māori, 3% Asian and 2% other. The school has a socio-economic decile rating of 9, meaning it draws its school community from areas of low to moderately-low socio-economic disadvantage when compared to other New Zealand schools. The current decile came into force in January 2015, after a nationwide review of deciles following the 2013 census. Previously, the school had a decile of 8.
Curriculum
Rangiora High School has developed a junior curriculum based on the New Zealand Curriculum. In Years 9 and 10 students study Ako, a connected curriculum model which includes English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Health & Physical Education. Year 9 students also select four half-year elective subjects, which must include one Arts subject, one Technology subject and one Language subject. Year 10 students also select four half-year electives. In Years 11 to 13, students complete the National Certificate of Educational Achievement, the main secondary school qualification in New Zealand. Levels 1, 2 and 3 of NCEA are usually completed in Years 11, 12 and 13 respectively, although students can choose subjects from different levels depending on their progress through the NCEA level system. In Year 11, students study English, Mathematics, Science or Agricultural Science, and three full-year elective subjects. Students in Year 12 study six full-year elective subjects. Students in Year 13 study five full-year elective subjects, with study for an additional four periods per week. Because the 25-period-per-week school timetable is not evenly divisible into six subject lines, students in Years 11 to 13 spend the last period on Wednesdays either in supervised study or sport practice. Rangiora High School has a school farm, which is used to teach land-based studies. Set up in 1910, it started out running stock and growing crops, before being officially opened in November 1930 by Lord Bledisloe, the then Governor-General. In 2013, 89.0 percent of students leaving Rangiora High held at least NCEA Level 1, 81.4 percent held at least NCEA Level 2, and 49.9 percent held at least University Entrance. This is compared to 85.2%, 74.2%, and 49.0% respectively for all students nationally.
Co-curricular
School houses
Rangiora High School is divided into six houses, each containing approximately 300 students and 25 staff. Houses also provide a basis for inter-house competition in sport and cultural activities. The houses are named for New Zealanders who have achieved distinction in their respective areas. In alphabetical order, the six houses are:
A giant redwood tree is in the grounds of the school. It was planted in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria's Jubilee and has now grown into a very large tree.
