Schooling is compulsory in New Zealand for all children from their sixth until their sixteenth birthday, although most start on their fifth birthday. State schools are fully funded by the government and are co-educational (boys and girls) at primary and intermediate level. Both co-educational and single-sex schooling is available at secondary level.
New Zealand has eight universities, 22 polytechnics (post high school technical training organisations), four teacher training colleges and several thousand private training establishments.