Statizoid

Lower secondary school starting age in New Zealand

New Zealand: Lower secondary school starting age was 11 years in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
11 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
144th
of 209 countries
All-time high
11 years
in 1970
All-time low
11 years
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025

Lower secondary school starting age in New Zealand, 1970–2025

02.557.510197019972025

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for lower secondary school starting age in New Zealand is 11 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, lower secondary school starting age in New Zealand peaked at 11 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 11 years, in 1970.

That places New Zealand 144th out of 209 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

Lower secondary school starting age in New Zealand, year by year

Year years Change
1970 11 years —
1971 11 years +0.0%
1972 11 years +0.0%
1973 11 years +0.0%
1974 11 years +0.0%
1975 11 years +0.0%
1976 11 years +0.0%
1977 11 years +0.0%
1978 11 years +0.0%
1979 11 years +0.0%
1980 11 years +0.0%
1981 11 years +0.0%
1982 11 years +0.0%
1983 11 years +0.0%
1984 11 years +0.0%
1985 11 years +0.0%
1986 11 years +0.0%
1987 11 years +0.0%
1988 11 years +0.0%
1989 11 years +0.0%
1990 11 years +0.0%
1991 11 years +0.0%
1992 11 years +0.0%
1993 11 years +0.0%
1994 11 years +0.0%
1995 11 years +0.0%
1996 11 years +0.0%
1997 11 years +0.0%
1998 11 years +0.0%
1999 11 years +0.0%
2000 11 years +0.0%
2001 11 years +0.0%
2002 11 years +0.0%
2003 11 years +0.0%
2004 11 years +0.0%
2005 11 years +0.0%
2006 11 years +0.0%
2007 11 years +0.0%
2008 11 years +0.0%
2009 11 years +0.0%
2010 11 years +0.0%
2011 11 years +0.0%
2012 11 years +0.0%
2013 11 years +0.0%
2014 11 years +0.0%
2015 11 years +0.0%
2016 11 years +0.0%
2017 11 years +0.0%
2018 11 years +0.0%
2019 11 years +0.0%
2020 11 years +0.0%
2021 11 years +0.0%
2022 11 years +0.0%
2023 11 years +0.0%
2024 11 years +0.0%
2025 11 years +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 11 years 11 years 11 years 10
1980s 11 years 11 years 11 years 10
1990s 11 years 11 years 11 years 10
2000s 11 years 11 years 11 years 10
2010s 11 years 11 years 11 years 10
2020s 11 years 11 years 11 years 6

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 144 Albania 11 years compare
  2. 144 Algeria 11 years compare
  3. 144 Bahamas 11 years compare
  4. 144 Bangladesh 11 years compare
  5. 144 Barbados 11 years compare
  6. 144 Belize 11 years compare
  7. 144 Bermuda 11 years compare
  8. 144 Bosnia and Herzegovina 11 years compare
  9. 144 Brazil 11 years compare
  10. 144 Bulgaria 11 years compare
  11. 144 Cayman Islands 11 years compare
  12. 144 Colombia 11 years compare
  13. 144 Comoros 11 years compare
  14. 144 Croatia 11 years compare
  15. 144 Czechia 11 years compare
  16. 144 Djibouti 11 years compare
  17. 144 Eritrea 11 years compare
  18. 144 France 11 years compare
  19. 144 French Polynesia 11 years compare
  20. 144 Gabon 11 years compare
  21. 144 Gibraltar 11 years compare
  22. 144 Hungary 11 years compare
  23. 144 India 11 years compare
  24. 144 Italy 11 years compare
  25. 144 Kuwait 11 years compare
  26. 144 Kyrgyzstan 11 years compare
  27. 144 Lao People's Democratic Republic 11 years compare
  28. 144 Lithuania 11 years compare
  29. 144 Madagascar 11 years compare
  30. 144 Malta 11 years compare
  31. 144 Mauritius 11 years compare
  32. 144 Republic of Moldova 11 years compare
  33. 144 Monaco 11 years compare
  34. 144 Mongolia 11 years compare
  35. 144 Montenegro 11 years compare
  36. 144 New Caledonia 11 years compare
  37. 144 North Macedonia 11 years compare
  38. 144 Poland 11 years compare
  39. 144 Romania 11 years compare
  40. 144 Russian Federation 11 years compare
  41. 144 Samoa 11 years compare
  42. 144 San Marino 11 years compare
  43. 144 Serbia 11 years compare
  44. 144 Tajikistan 11 years compare
  45. 144 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 11 years compare
  46. 144 Uzbekistan 11 years compare
  47. 144 Viet Nam 11 years compare

See the full ranking of 209 places →

More education data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is lower secondary school starting age in New Zealand?
Lower secondary school starting age in New Zealand was 11 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest lower secondary school starting age recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 11 years in 1970.
What is the lowest lower secondary school starting age recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 11 years in 1970.
How does New Zealand rank for lower secondary school starting age?
New Zealand ranks 144th out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
Is lower secondary school starting age rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Lower secondary school starting age (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Lower secondary school starting age in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/lower-secondary-school-starting-age-years/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Lower secondary school starting age (years)
Unit
years
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
209 places, 11,411 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Lower secondary school starting age is the age at which students would enter lower secondary education, assuming they had started at the official entrance age for the lowest level of education, had studied full-time throughout and had progressed through the system without repeating or skipping a grade.