List of schools in Canterbury, New Zealand
Canterbury is a region in the South Island of New Zealand. It contains numerous rural primary schools, several small town primary and secondary schools, and big-city schools in Christchurch. Due to the large number of schools in Christchurch, they are listed separately at List of schools in Christchurch. Schools in the Waitaki District which are located in the Canterbury part of the district are listed at List of schools in Otago. In New Zealand schools, students begin formal education in Year 1 at the age of five. Year 13 is the final  year of secondary education. Years 14 and 15 refer to adult education facilities. State schools are those fully funded by the government and at which no fees can be charged, although a donation is commonly requested. A state integrated school is a state school with a special character based on a religious or philosophical belief. Kura Kaupapa Māori are Māori immersion schools that are also state funded, but deliver their curriculum in the Māori language. There are two of these schools in Christchurch: Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Whānau Tahi in Spreydon (Decile 3), and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori  o Waitaha in Woolston (Decile 1). The decile indicates the socio-economic group that the school catchment area falls into. A rating of 1 indicates a poor area; a rating of 10 a well-off one. The decile ratings used here come from the Ministry of Education "Te Kete Ipurangi" website and from the decile change spreadsheet listed in the references. The deciles were last revised using information from the 2006 Census. The roll of each school changes frequently as students start school for the first time, move between schools, and graduate. The rolls given here are those provided by  the Ministry of Education, based on figures from The Ministry of Education institution number, given in the last column, links to the "Education Counts" page for each school. Kaikoura District. The Kaikoura district is the northernmost district of the Canterbury region, and is home to people. The district seat of Kaikōura (pop. ) is the only significant urban area. Ashburton District. The Ashburton District covers the area between the Rakaia River and the Rangitata River, and is home to people. Ashburton (pop. ) is the district seat and by far the largest town, with significant other towns including Methven (pop. c.1350) and  Rakaia (pop. c. 1000).