The pros and cons of single-sex state schools

This episode of RNZ National explores the debate around single-sex state schools in New Zealand, following the Ministry of Education's decision not to build new single-sex state schools despite research showing academic benefits for students—particularly Māori and Pasifika boys and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds—in such environments. Education researcher Michael Johnston joins the host to discuss the pros and cons, emphasizing that while co-educational schools offer valuable socialization benefits, a blanket ban on new single-sex schools is overly blunt. He argues that choice should be available to all families, not just those who can afford private or special character schools, and suggests hybrid models—like gender-separated classes with mixed activities—as a potential middle ground. The conversation reflects on personal experiences, the evolving social dynamics of youth, and the tension between equity, educational outcomes, and social development.