OUR STORY

Paraparaumu College - Te Kāreti o Paraparaumu

Paraparaumu College is a proudly co-educational secondary school that is of our community, for our community. The majority of students attending the school live within our school zone in Paraparaumu, Paraparaumu Beach, Otaihanga, Waikanae and Pekapeka, so our college enjoys a strong community feel. 

Paraparaumu College first opened in 1977 with a roll of just 189 students.  As of 2023 our roll sits at approximately 1,400 students. The school has continued to grow, and in 2020 a zone was introduced to help the school manage this. A master plan has been developed to help stage building changes on the campus to support future growth with the roll predicted to be 1800 by 2032. A new 10 classroom technology hub is in design stages and scheduled for completion in 2026.  

Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai are tangata whenua of the area. Our strategic plan outlines our work developing partnerships and approaches that reflect New Zealand’s cultural diversity and our commitment as partners in Te Tiriti o Waitangi. 

Our priorities as a college are:

1. Fostering connectedness and belonging for all ākonga

2. Achieving the highest equitable outcomes for our students

3. Developing future ready courageous learners

Our aspirations for Paraparaumu College’s learners (both students and staff) are summarised through our ‘Great Learner’ values.  As a caring community, we aspire to be collaborative and active learners, respectful in our relationships with each other and effective self-managers.

The ‘PC Way’ outlines our approach to curriculum, the principles on which it is based and the practices we employ.  Its emphasis is on personalising learning around student interest and need.

Paraparaumu College is a ‘Positive Behaviour for Learning’ School.  Our focus through our strategic plan is reinforcing and extending our relational approaches.

Paraparaumu College has a strong record of student academic achievement and success in the performing arts and sport.  We also have a large number of clubs which provide a wide-range of activities for students to get involved in. We encourage all students to be involved in extra-curricular activities as this helps students grow their sense of belonging and connectedness, which is so good for their well-being.  

We are committed to extending and enhancing our relationships with other Kāpiti schools for the benefit of all learners in our area. We are part of the Kāpiti North Kāhui Ako, a cluster of Paraparaumu College and Waikanae, Kapakapanui, Paraparaumu Beach and Kenakena Primary Schools. Our cluster works closely with the Kāpiti South Kāhui Ako providing a cohesive community-wide focus.