Rangi Ruru is consistently in the top 3% of New Zealand schools for academic achievement. In national and international competitions and examinations, a high proportion of students feature at the top of their chosen fields of endeavour. More than 90% of Rangi girls go on to further tertiary study in New Zealand and overseas.

It is important to us that our students are exposed to a wide range of opportunities, both inside and outside the classroom. We are not 'just' an academic school, and we appreciate that not all girls are “straight A academic students”.

We see our role as providing the environment and support to encourage girls to reach their full potential and to find the interest in which they excel. Academically, students are supported to optimise their unique abilities in a number of ways including extra tuition, acceleration, extension and enrichment.

Until their senior years, students are grouped into classes of peers of similar ability. Specialist trained staff work closely with students who require learning support, or show particular interests, talents or gifts. In order to reach their individual potential, identified girls may be further challenged through extension, acceleration or multi-levelling.

The school has adopted the NZ Curriculum Key Competencies and Art Costa’s Habits of Mind.  Underpinning everything we do at Rangi Ruru, are the School’s values of Respect, Aroha, eNdeavour and enthusiasm, Generosity of Spirit and Integrity. These form the basis for our relationships and expectations of each other, inside and outside the classroom.

Class size is kept to a maximum of 26 students, though many senior students may be in classes of fewer than 12. We maintain a student/teacher ratio of around 12 girls to each teacher. Small classes enable Rangi Ruru teaching staff to know their students well, monitor their progress, develop lessons to the needs and interests of students and provide many opportunities for interactive and collaborative learning.

NCEA
Rangi Ruru NCEA results for 2010 were again amongst the top in New Zealand.
 
 
New Zealand Scholarship Results 2010
Excellent scholarship results were achieved again in 2010. Each year up to 3 per cent of Year 13 students studying each subject at Level 3 will get a Scholarship.
Scholarship exams are separate from NCEA and are designed to challenge, identify and recognise the country's top students, and provide them with monetary rewards. Scholarship requires high-level analytical skills and critical thinking. 

In 2010 Rangi Ruru scholarship girls achieved a total of 37 Scholarships in 13 subjects by 26 students, including four with Outstanding Performance, awarded for the highest levels of attainment.

Subject Scholarship successes
Art History (2), Biology (1), Classical Studies (4), Design (1), English (4), Geography (1), (History (3), Media Studies (3), Painting (7), Photography (5), Printmaking (1), Statistics and Modelling (4), Technology (1).