In the New Zealand education system, decile was a key measure of socioeconomic status used to target funding and support schools.
[3][4] A school's socioeconomic decile was recalculated by the Ministry of Education every five years, using data collected after each Census of Population and Dwellings.
The following table lists the decile ratings of thirty state secondary schools in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin before the system was replaced by the Equity index[4] The decile system was criticised by teacher and principal associations for fomenting destructive competition between schools and the exacerbation of white flight.
[11] The Ministry claimed demographic changes were behind the shifts, but the Secondary Principals Association and PPTA have attributed white flight to racial and class stigmas of low-decile schools, which commonly had majority Māori and Pacific Islander rolls.
[12] A visiting Fulbright Scholar, Professor Chris Lubienski, carried out research that found discrepancies in 36 of the 49 secondary school zones in Auckland.
They make clear that before drawing up an enrolment zone boards are required to consult parents and the wider community as well as other schools.
If a school board is unable to agree a boundary arrangement the ministry can step in to resolve the matter.
In September 2019 the Sixth Labour Government announced the decile system would be replaced by a new ""Equity Index" which would come into effect as early as 2021.