Epsom Girls' Grammar School

Epsom Girls Grammar School is a state secondary school for girls ranging from years 9 to 13 in Auckland, New Zealand. It has a roll of 2,200 as of 2024, making it one of the largest schools in New Zealand.

Epsom Girls' Grammar School
Epsom Girls' Grammar School and Ōhinerau / Mount Hobson seen from Maungawhau / Mount Eden
Address
Map
Silver Road,
Epsom, Auckland,
New Zealand
Coordinates36°52′38″S 174°46′28″E / 36.87722°S 174.77444°E / -36.87722; 174.77444
Information
TypeState Single Sex Girls Secondary (Year 9–13) with Boarding Facilities
MottoLatin: Per Angusta, Ad Augusta
(Through difficulties to greatness.)
Established12 February 1917
Sister schoolAuckland Grammar School
Ministry of Education Institution no.64
PrincipalBrenda McNaughton
School roll2,206[2] (February 2024)
Colour(s)Navy and gold
   
Socio-economic decile9Q[1]
WebsiteEpsom Girls Grammar School

The principal is Brenda McNaughton, the 12th principal, who succeeded Lorraine Pound in 2024.[3][4] She succeeds a long line of distinguished educators such as Margaret Bendall and Marjory Adams.[5]

History

Epsom Girls' Grammar School was established through an endowment of land in 1850 and officially opened on 12 February 1917 with 174 students.[6] Establishing Epsom Girls' was described as a "struggle", as "despite a clear need for a second girls’ school in Auckland, education administrators continued to prioritise boys’ education. Eventually EGGS emerged as an old, adapted Villa and a handful of classrooms on the Silver Road site. When the doors opened in 1917 the School had already exceeded capacity."[7]

Boarding facilities are provided on-site at Epsom House, providing full accommodation for 150 students from overseas and rural New Zealand.[8]

The Old Girls Association was established in 1921, and holds a number of events each year for alumnae.[9]

In 2021, Metro (magazine) reported that Epsom Girls Grammar School was the top performing non-religious state school in Auckland over the last five years (based on Ministry of Education data of the five-year average of university entrance attainment).[10]

Property prices in the Epsom Girls Grammar School and Auckland Grammar School school zones (known as the "double Grammar zone") are particularly high - Epsom Girls is the second most expensive school zone to buy in within Auckland (with the first being Auckland Grammar School).[11] The zone covers large swathes of four of the city’s highest value suburbs – Remuera, Epsom, Parnell and Mount Eden. Real estate agents have commented that being in the "double Grammar zone" could add up to $500,000 to the value of a family home.[12]

Principals

  • Annie Christina Morrison 1917–1929[13]
  • Agnes L. Laudon 1930–1947
  • Margaret G. Johnston 1948–1952
  • Marjory F.E. Adams 1953–1970
  • Alisa M. Blakey 1970–1979
  • Gae E. Griffiths 1979–1988
  • Verna E. Dowdle 1988–1996
  • Margaret A. Bendall 1996–2004
  • Annette Sharp 2005–2008
  • Madeline J. Gunn 2008–2016
  • Lorraine Pound 2016–2023
  • Brenda McNaughton 2024–present

Notable alumnae

See also

References

Book of Memories: Epsom Girls Grammar School 1917–1992

Epsom Girls Grammar School golden jubilee 1917–1967