Saint Kentigern College is a private, Presbyterian and co educational school in Auckland, set in Pakuranga in the east of the city and run by the Saint Kentigern Trust Board. It teaches Years 7 to 13 and is an IB World School, offering the IB Diploma alongside the New Zealand NCEA in the senior years. Two features set it apart for a relocating family: the choice between the IB Diploma and NCEA at the top of the school, and the structure that teaches boys and girls separately in the middle years before they come together in a co educational senior school.
Saint Kentigern College at a glance
| Detail | Summary |
|---|---|
| Curriculum and exam boards | New Zealand curriculum and an IB World School: the IB Diploma and NCEA are both offered in the senior years. Confirm the current subject lists with the school |
| Stages | Years 7 to 13. Separate boys' and girls' middle schools in Years 7 to 10, co educational senior school in Years 11 to 13. Confirm the current structure with the school |
| Type | Private, Presbyterian, co educational, run by the Saint Kentigern Trust Board |
| Fee band | Private band for Auckland, with a one off enrolment fee on first entry |
| Location | Pakuranga, East Auckland, bordered by the Tamaki estuary |
Curriculum and academics
The academic question that matters most at Saint Kentigern College is the senior choice. The school is an IB World School and offers the IB Diploma Programme, but it also runs the New Zealand NCEA, so at the end of Year 11 senior students decide whether to continue on the national pathway or take the IB Diploma for their final two years. For a family arriving from an IB school overseas, the presence of the Diploma means a child can keep going in a familiar framework, while a child planning to stay in New Zealand can take the qualification local universities know best.
The two routes suit different learners. The IB Diploma rewards a student who thrives on breadth and is happy to keep studying across the sciences, humanities, languages and the arts to the end of school, with the extended essay and wider Diploma framework as part of the package. NCEA is more modular and lets a student shape a narrower programme earlier. The honest way to choose is to look at how your child works and where they expect to apply to university, then ask the school how it advises families through the decision.
The structure is distinctive too. In Years 7 to 10 boys and girls are taught in separate middle schools, then come together in a co educational senior school from Year 11, an arrangement the school frames around the different ways children develop in the middle years. As a Presbyterian foundation, Saint Kentigern sets its academic programme within a wider Christian character and a strong co curricular tradition in sport, music and service. Ask the admissions team which IB and NCEA subjects are running this year and how the middle and senior schools are arranged.
Plan the full cost of a Saint Kentigern place
Add tuition and extras into one annual figure for Auckland before you commit.
Saint Kentigern College fees
Saint Kentigern College sits in the private band of Auckland's school market, and our Auckland international school fees guide explains how the local market is tiered and where the private schools fall within it. Tuition varies by year group and is set annually, so the school's own schedule is the only figure to plan a budget against.
Alongside tuition, budget for the one off enrolment fee charged on first entry, plus any deposit and optional costs such as meals, uniform, technology, sport and trips. Private school fees in Auckland tend to rise year on year, so plan for increases across a multi year stay rather than a flat rate, and ask whether any sibling arrangement applies if you are enrolling more than one child. International families should confirm whether a different fee level applies to non resident students.
To see where that leaves you against the rest of the city, our fees guide groups Auckland schools into broad tiers so you can compare Saint Kentigern with the other names in our best international schools in Auckland guide. Confirm the current year group fees with the admissions office before you set a budget.
Admissions
Admission is by application to the school, which assesses applicants alongside recent school reports and any prior records, within its Presbyterian character and trust board governance. The college takes students into Year 7 as a main entry point and at other points across the year groups, and international families are a familiar part of the intake given the IB offering.
Places at the main entry points can be limited given the school's size and reputation in East Auckland, so register your interest early and confirm the current requirements directly. A one off enrolment fee applies on first entry, which is worth budgeting for at the application stage, and international students should check visa and English language requirements as part of the process.
It is worth gathering recent school reports, any standardised assessment results and, for a child already on an IB pathway, their current records, then asking the school how it places a student joining part way through the middle or senior school and which senior route would suit them. Register as soon as your relocation is confirmed and ask about assessment dates and term start points for the coming intake.
Location and who goes there
Saint Kentigern College is in Pakuranga in East Auckland, on a large site bordered by the Tamaki estuary and looking toward the Hauraki Gulf. The eastern setting suits families basing themselves in the Pakuranga, Howick and wider East Auckland area, and the estuary side campus gives the school the grounds and sports facilities of an established private school.
The intake mixes long settled East Auckland families with internationally mobile parents drawn by the IB Diploma and the school's reputation. Relocating families considering Saint Kentigern should weigh the eastern location and the commute from wherever they expect to live against the schools on the central isthmus and the North Shore.
To see how Saint Kentigern College compares with the other schools across the city and where comparable families tend to live, start from the Auckland city hub and work outward by curriculum, stage and budget.
Saint Kentigern College reviews
We do not yet hold any verified parent reviews for Saint Kentigern College. GlobalSchoolGuide is an independent guide and no school pays to be listed, so we publish a rating only once we have collected enough verified first hand accounts to be fair both to the school and to the families reading them. We would rather show nothing than show an invented score.
If your family has attended Saint Kentigern College we would value your account of the teaching, the IB and NCEA programmes, the pastoral care, the campus and value for money. Share it through our school reviews hub and we will add verified contributions to this page.
Frequently asked questions
What curriculum does Saint Kentigern College follow?
Saint Kentigern College follows the New Zealand curriculum and is an IB World School. In the senior years students choose between the IB Diploma and the national NCEA pathway. Confirm the current subject options with the school.
How much are Saint Kentigern College fees?
Saint Kentigern College sits in the private band of Auckland school fees, with tuition set annually and varying by year group, and a one off enrolment fee on first entry. Confirm the current schedule with the school before you budget.
Is Saint Kentigern College an IB school?
Yes. Saint Kentigern College is an IB World School offering the IB Diploma Programme in the senior years, alongside the New Zealand NCEA, so students can choose the route that suits them. Confirm the current arrangements with the school.
What year groups does Saint Kentigern College take?
Saint Kentigern College teaches Years 7 to 13. Boys and girls are taught in separate middle schools in Years 7 to 10, then come together in a co educational senior school for Years 11 to 13. Confirm the current structure with the school.
Where is Saint Kentigern College?
Saint Kentigern College is in Pakuranga in East Auckland, on a large site bordered by the Tamaki estuary and looking toward the Hauraki Gulf.
