Area school
{{Short description|Type of school in New Zealand and Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
In New Zealand and Australia, an area school is a school that takes children from kindergarten age (usually 4 or 5 years old) all the way through to tertiary entrance exams (at about age 18). They tend to be built in small towns where the cost of separate primary and secondary schools cannot be justified{{Cite web|url=http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?layout=document&documentid=6169&indexid=11537&indexparentid=1072&goto=00-02#P32_5279|title=The school system |accessdate=2 August 2007|publisher=Ministry of Education, New Zealand|year=2007|work=Ministry of Education website}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.schools.sa.gov.au/portal/community.asp?group=support&id=countryrural |title=Quality public education and care in country South Australia |accessdate=2 August 2007 |publisher=Government of South Australia |year=2007 |work=Department of Education and Children's Services website |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929000713/http://www.schools.sa.gov.au/portal/community.asp?group=support&id=countryrural |archivedate=29 September 2007 }} because there are too few pupils to have separate schools.{{cite news |last1=McCulloch |first1=Gabrielle |title=Last major education agreement settled, area school teachers see 14.5% pay jump |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/300954251/last-major-education-agreement-settled-area-school-teachers-see-145-pay-jump |access-date=29 January 2024 |work=Stuff |date=21 August 2023}} These schools distinguish between primary and secondary stages internally but there is a single headteacher, faculty and administration.
The New Zealand Area Schools Association (NZASA) is the organisation that represents the interests of area schools, and concerns itself with educational matters in rural areas.{{cite web |title=What we do |url=https://www.nzasa.org.nz/about/ |publisher=NZ Area Schools Association |access-date=29 January 2024}}