A School and its Community

In nineteenth century New Zealand, district high schools developed in a number of settlements, often outside the main centres, but few survived for long. This book documents the history of Cambridge District High School in the Waikato, which was started in 1883 but was closed in 1888. The school is placed in the context of the Cambridge community of the 1880s. The views of the local population, the School Committee, the parents of the High School pupils and the Auckland Education Board are documented. The School Committee members were leaders in the community and ran the school as they ran other community organisations. However, petty differences that arose in a small community led to divisions among parents, teachers and the School Committee members. The Auckland Education Board had little enthusiasm for such schools, preferring to support only primary schools even in areas far from the secondary schools of Auckland City. The main concern of the Education Board was financial noteducational; the Board considered the district high school was not financially self-sufficient and it was closed.