As national headlines lament an overall decline in secondary school achievement rates, Avondale College students have particular cause for celebration. With NCEA results tracking well above national averages, outstanding results in Cambridge at national and international levels, a record number of New Zealand Scholarships and the steady lifting of education outcomes for priority learners, Avondale College is not just aiming for excellence; the results show we are achieving it.
Nationally, the NCEA achievement rate dropped for the third consecutive year in 2023; but Avondale College continued a positive trajectory with students surpassing national achievement rates by a significant margin.
According to provisional results released by NZQA in January, nationally the achievement results fell around 5% in 2023.
Achievement for Avondale College students in Year 11 and Year 12 was very similar to 2022; however, the results for Year 13 students increased by 11% on the previous year; a whopping 12.4% above the national Year 13 pass rate.
Interestingly, in the Auckland region, the percentage of Year 11 students who achieved Level 1 was even lower than the national average; declining by 6% to 54.1%. In contrast, Avondale College's Year 11 students achieved an 89% pass rate, with other year levels similarly achieving well above national averages.
AVONDALE COLLEGE NCEA RESULTS*
Overall Avcol achievement rate for NCEA students: 90%
At Year 11, 89% of Avcol's NCEA students achieved Level 1 (National figure: 60%)
At Year 12, 90% of Avcol's NCEA students achieved Level 2 (National figure: 72.2%)
At Year 13, 96% of Avcol's NCEA students achieved Level 3 (National figure: 66.2%)
UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE
Our combined University Entrance achievement for NCEA and Cambridge was 77%.
This compares to the national average of 47%!
CAMBRIDGE
Once again, Avondale College students achieved outstanding results in their Cambridge exams overall, with 84% achieving their year level qualification. Additionally, three students came top in the world in IGCSE Mathematics, AS Mathematics and AS Information Technology; alongside nine Top in New Zealand or High Achievement awards.
At IGCSE Level Avondale College's pass rate was 92% (up from 89% in 2022)
At AS Level the pass rate was 81%
100% of students achieved their A Level qualification (passing three subjects at AS or A2)
NZ SCHOLARSHIP
In the New Zealand Scholarship examinations, which recognises the top 3% of national scholars in 2023, Avondale College students also shone across a range of subjects. Notably, an Avondale College student gained the Top Scholar in Drama award for the second year running. In 2023, Avondale College students achieved a record 43 NZ Scholarships - up from 30 in 2022 and 32 in 2021. Outstanding Scholarships, which are achieved by just the top 0.3% of national scholars were awarded to three students; two in Drama and one in Painting.
MĀORI & PACIFIC ACHIEVEMENT
Another area in which Avondale College is bucking the national trend is in achievement rates for Māori and Pacific students.
In 2023, NZQA Deputy Chief Executive Assessment, Jann Marshall noted that nationally: “There continues to be a significant and concerning differential in attainment between Māori and Pacific students and their European or Asian peers, and work needs to continue across the education sector to address this gap."
Avondale College's results indicate a different story. Not only have achievement rates for Māori and Pacific students been tracking well above national averages for a number of years, in 2023, there was a significant jump in the achievement of University Entrance for Māori students in particular.
Achievement of University Entrance by Year 13 NCEA students
62% Māori students at Avcol gained UE, up from 46% in 2022
52% of Pacific students at Avcol gained UE, up from 38% in 2022
Congratulations to all our students on achieving these superb results in 2023! We acknowledge the hard work of the students and their teachers in achieving such significant levels of success and look forward to sharing more positive results as 2024 unfolds.
Kohia ngā Taikākā!
*Avondale College's NCEA results are calculated on number of students entered for the qualification and do not include Cambridge or International students