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Only a handful of Marlborough pupils attend secondary boarding schools outside the district, Ministry of Education figures show.
The number of Marlborough boys attending St Bede’s College in Christchurch peaked in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when boys slept 60 to a room, but parents now demanded privacy says Rector Justin Boyle.
Boyle says Marlborough boys continue to be a small proportion of the Christchurch Catholic college’s boarding roll, capped at 130. About six were enrolled in years 9 to 13.
He says family connections with the church had grown more tenuous but demand for boarding places at St Bede’s exceeded supply due to the Catholic school’s reputation for achievement and its values.
Garin College boarding manager Robert Booth said 20 Marlborough boys and girls lived at the college. They included three year 9 boarders.
Mr Booth, at Garin since the school opened 11 years ago, said Marlborough enrolments fluctuated, with a noticeable drop-off during the wine industry downturn.
Demand for places surpassed availability, he said. Many non-Catholic parents wanted to enrol children at Garin because of its small size and emphasis on moral values, but “non-preferential” places were limited to 10 per cent of the roll.
The ministry figures for Marlborough also included 12 pupils who transferred to day schools around the country and two who enrolled at Catholic college St Peter’s in Palmerston North.
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