Enrolment
Welcome and thank you for your interest in Aquinas College.
Founded in 2003, our Year 7 to Year 13 college is set on 10.7 hectares in Pyes Pa, Tauranga — close to The Lakes and the city’s key thoroughfares. Aquinas aims to educate the next generation of Catholic servant leaders who positively influence the lives of others. We are intentional about being an authentically Catholic College with a heart for Christ and a vision of holistic education to grow the gifts and talents of the whole person so they may realise their true potential.
With a roll of 750 students and expansion to 950 on the horizon, Aquinas attracts students from the Western BOP and beyond. It is also a destination for international students from more than 15 countries. As such, acceptance into the school is highly sought-after. Historically, we receive more applications than positions available.
Enrolment applications open for a month each winter. Enrolment requests received after this will be considered on a rolling basis if space is available.
Please contact Executive Assistant Sheryl Flexman at sflexman@aquinas.school.nz or by phone 07 543 2400 extn 202 if you have any questions. We are here to help you.
How To Apply
Download our prospectus and view our enrolment video.
Attend our Open Day to tour the school and meet our teachers and students. Booking is essential. Register your attendance here.
Complete the online application forms. You must submit both the Aquinas College Enrolment Form and the Hamilton Diocese Enrolment Contract. We will confirm your application by email.
Interview Process. After submitting your application you will be contacted with notification of your interview date.
Acceptance Notification: If successful, an offer of enrolment will be emailed to you. You have seven days to accept.
FAQ
Open Day
The best way to learn about Aquinas College is to come and see it for yourself, and hear from students and staff first-hand. Our Open Day is held at the start of Term 3.
Open Day Format
- Welcome, prayer and a brief introduction to Aquinas by our Principal and Head Students.
- Tour of the college and classroom learning environments, hosted by senior student leaders.
- A hands-on learning experience with our teachers and students. During this time, parents and whanau have the opportunity to meet and ask questions of staff members with responsibilities for curricular and extra-curricular aspects of the college. This includes Special Character, Learning Support, sports, the Arts, cultural activities, buses and more.
- A brief presentation about our unique holistic curriculum, Graduate Profile aspirations, and assessment framework.
- Questions and farewell.
Enrolment FAQ
What is a Preference Enrolment?
Enrolment preference is given to students or families with an established Catholic connection. To establish this, a Preference of Enrolment Certificate must be obtained from your Parish Priest. Your child must meet one of the following criteria:
● The child has been baptised or is being prepared for baptism in the Catholic Church.
● The child’s parents/guardians have already allowed one or more of their children to be baptised in the Catholic faith.
● At least one parent/guardian is a Catholic, and although their child has not yet been baptised, the child’s participation in the life of the school could lead to the parents having the child baptised.
● With the agreement of the child’s parent/guardian, a significant familial adult such as a grandparent, aunt or uncle, who is living in close proximity and who is actively involved in the child’s upbringing undertakes to support the child’s formation in the faith and practices of the Catholic Church.
● One or both of a child’s non-Catholic parents/guardians are preparing to become a Catholic.
What are Attendance Dues?
Are a compulsory fee that is a condition of enrolment at integrated schools. It is one of the main sources of income for the maintenance or upgrading of existing buildings.
The 2024 Aquinas College Attendance Dues for Year 7 or 8 students is $496 per student and $992 per Year 9 to 13 student. Dues are not tax deductible.
The fee is invoiced from and payable to the Catholic Integrated Schools Office. It is administered and collected by the Hamilton Diocese Office.
What is the Aquinas College Voluntary Contribution?
The Aquinas Board of Trustees has set the 2024 Voluntary Contribution at $1,200 per annum per student, with a maximum of $3,000 per annum for three or more students from the same family. Receive a five per cent discount if paid by March.
The donation provides crucial funding for many of the vital services we offer students. As a high decile school (now renamed the Equity Index), our government funding per student is lower than schools with a higher index, leaving Aquinas with a funding shortfall. We need your support.
Your school donation helps pay for additional staffing above Ministry-approved levels and boosts our teacher aide funding. It bankrolls targeted programmes for literacy and numeracy support, student well-being services, and additional school counsellors. Unlike most schools, we have two counsellors — a staffing commitment that significantly exceeds our government funding.
Funding from your donation helps support students in need, ensuring they can attend school trips, take part in sports teams and receive a school uniform. It also assists Aquinas families experiencing hardship.
Financial or family circumstances should not be a deterrent in seeking enrolment.
What is a Non-Preference Enrolment?
Non-Preference (or non-Catholic) families are welcome to enrol their child at Aquinas College. However, the Non-Preference roll is very competitive and the number accepted depends on the amount of Preference applications received.
For further queries regarding payment of Attendance Dues or the Aquinas Voluntary Contribution, contact the school’s Finance Administrator, Celeste Foreman at cforeman@aquinas.school.nz.