 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "St Cuthbert's College, Auckland" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| St Cuthbert's College | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
.jpg) Aerial photograph of St Cuthbert's College in 1957 | |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 36°53′14″S174°46′45″E / 36.88722°S 174.77917°E /-36.88722; 174.77917 |
| Information | |
| Type | Private,Day &Boarding |
| Motto | By Love, Serve[1] |
| Denomination | Presbyterian |
| Established | 1915;[2] 110 years ago |
| Ministry of Education Institution no. | 68 |
| Principal | Charlotte Avery |
| Years offered | 0–13 |
| Gender | Girls |
| School roll | 1617[3](July 2025) |
| Website | www |
St Cuthbert's College is aprivate (independent)Presbyterian-basedday andboarding school for girls aged 4 to 18 (Years 0 to 13), located inEpsom,Auckland, New Zealand.
The school was established in 1915 in Mt Eden, and has a roll of approximately 1500 students. It is widely regarded as one of the best academically performingschools in New Zealand.[4][5] In 2015, Metro Magazine stated that "the top academic results in Auckland, every year, are scored by St Cuthbert’s College"[6] and the school has been awarded the title of Metro Magazine's Highest-Ranked Auckland Secondary School for Academic Achievement in 2013,[7] 2014 (when the equivalent of 53 per cent of the Year 13 roll gained scholarships),[8] 2015,[9] 2016,[10] 2017,[11] 2018,[12] 2020 and 2022.
The school is affiliated with the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA),[13] the New Zealand Boarding Schools' Association (NZBSA),[14] Independent Schools of New Zealand (ISNZ),[15] and is an overseas member of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools ofAustralia (AHISA).[16]
The school offers its own Year 11 St Cuthbert's Diploma and the option of theInternational Baccalaureate diplomas or nationalNCEA qualification from Year 12.
The college was established as the Auckland Presbyterian College for Ladies Ltd in 1915, when a group of Presbyterian elders purchased Mt Eden Collegiate, aprivate school for girls, and appointed Miss Isobel Macdonald as the school's firstprincipal. Miss Macdonald chose the motto, "By Love, Serve", and renamed the school St Cuthbert's College as the Trust Board suggested that a shorter and more distinctive name was required. The school is named after theNorthumbrian monk-bishopSaint Cuthbert and, since 1918, it has celebrated St Cuthbert's Day annually in March.[2]
In 1925, the college moved to its present site in Epsom. In 1932, three schoolhouses were established,Dunblane,Elgin andMelrose, each named after places of significance in the life of St Cuthbert.[2]
In 1936, the winteruniform was changed toBlack Watch tartan, after the then principal, Lavinia Clouston, had seen the uniform at thePresbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney. Black Watch tartan also has been the summer uniform since 1966.[17]
The St Cuthbert's Collegemotto is "By Love, Serve". The motto was chosen to encourage students to share, respect the needs of others, accept different viewpoints and to live peacefully.
The school verse comes from1 Corinthians 13 chapters 1–13 and is consistent with "By Love, Serve", and students are constantly reminded to be "By Love, Serve".
As a private school, St Cuthburt's College charges tuition fees to cover costs. For the 2025 school year, tuition fees for New Zealand residents are $26,568 per year for students in years 0 to 6 and $30,476 per year for students in years 7 and above, with international students charged $53,136 and $60,952 per year respectively. Boarding fees for all students are $20,876 per year.[18]
As of July 2025, St Cuthburt's College has roll of 1617 students, of which 56 (3.5%) identify as Māori.[3] As a private school, the school is not assigned anEquity Index.
St Cuthbert's College accepts bothday students andboarding students. Boarding students from Years 7 to 13 live in one of St. Cuthbert's three boarding houses: Dunblane, Elgin or Melrose. The boarding community at St Cuthbert's College is very diverse. Boarders come fromAsia, thePacific Islands and a range of other overseas locations, as well as from both urban and rural New Zealand. An increasing number of boarders are local students living between Karaka and the North Shore.[19]
The college offers its own St Cuthbert's Year 11 Diploma, and from Year 12 the option to choose eitherNCEA orIB.
In 1999 a Thinking Skills programme was introduced based on Art Costa'sHabits of Mind. Senior management credit this programme for the college's continuing ranking as one of New Zealand's top schools.[20]
Physical education is compulsory for all students from Years 1 to 11. Students are also given the opportunity to pitch themselves against other top athletes in local, regional and national tournaments as part of the college's Athlete Pathway Programme.[21]
Over 90 per cent of senior students participate in extra-curricular sporting activities.[19]
In Year 10, the students take part in a four-week experience at Kahunui, a large outdoor living space in theBay of Plenty bush, where the girls participate in physical activities as well as academic work that is taught by practical applications (e.g. maths is covered in budgeting and English through creative writing journal entries).[22]
During their time at Kahunui, the girls are divided into groups of eight students and they are expected to live in and manage their own residence. The outdoor programme includes overnight sea kayaking and tramping trips.
Alumni of St Cuthbert's College are commonly referred to as Old Girls, and may elect to join the school'salumni association, the Old Girls' Association. Some notable St Cuthbert's Old Girls include:
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
