We’re another week into CensusAtSchool 2025, and participation continues to grow. So far, 3,177 students from 102 schools across Aotearoa have taken part. It’s been amazing to see so many students measuring, reflecting, and exploring data in their classrooms. Thank you, too, for your feedback.

Interesting Stats This Week

Did you use any device in bed last night? ‘Device’ includes TVs, phones, computers, tablets, consoles, etc.

Do you feel like you got enough sleep last night?

Years 3 and 13 have been excluded from the graphs, as only a small number of students from these year levels have taken part so far.

Keep the Data Flowing

Haven’t taken part yet? Make sure your class completes the survey soon to be part of this exciting snapshot of Kiwi students. Remember, the survey is open during school hours until the end of 2026.

Register Now

Teacher Resource Spotlight: Data Puzzles

Are you looking for ways to bring authentic and relevant scientific data into your classroom? Data Puzzles combine classroom-friendly scientific datasets with the research-backed pedagogical practices of Ambitious Science Teaching to give your students the ultimate inquiry-based learning experience.

It’s been one week since the launch of CensusAtSchool 2025–2026, and we want to say a huge thank you to the many teachers and students who have taken part already!

Teachers have shared some great feedback about the experience so far:

“Students loved it, for once they were totally on task.”
“My students were interested with the questions about gaming.”
“The thrill of doing measurements.”
“Always fun to compare feet sizes and height in statistics.”

Top 10 Trending Words

Here’s what students are saying—how many of these words do you know the meaning of?

1. sigma
2. huzz
3. slay
4. rizz
5. skibidi
6. massive
7. dry
8. gyatt
9. baddie
10. hyperpigmentation

Thank you again for being part of CensusAtSchool – we love hearing how your students are engaging with the data! Keep the feedback coming, and we look forward to seeing even more participation in the coming weeks.

Not Registered Yet? It’s Not Too Late!

You can still sign up to take part. Register Now

Read the Teacher’s Guide

This has everything you need, including:

📌 Preparation Checklist
📌 Equipment List & Printables
📌 Measurement Station Setup
📌 Questionnaire Preview

Read the Teacher’s Guide

Optional: “Behind the Questions” Guide

Explore the purpose of all questions and how to use the data in class discussions.

Get the “Behind the Questions” Guide

Before we go: Cyberskills Live

Looking for an engaging digital learning experience for your students? Check out Cyberskills Live – an interactive platform where students can learn about cyber security, computer coding, working with data, and artificial intelligence. It’s a great way to build essential digital skills while having fun.

CensusAtSchool New Zealand – TataurangaKiTeKura Aotearoa launches today its twelfth biennial survey, giving students across Aotearoa the opportunity to explore real-world data about themselves. This large-scale national survey offers a fascinating snapshot of young people’s lives, experiences, and opinions.

Over the coming months, tens of thousands of students from Years 3–13 will take part, answering questions about everything from their screen time and tech use to their favourite foods, pets, sleep habits, gaming behaviour, and even what word they think is currently trending.

Supervised by teachers, students complete the survey anonymously online in English or te reo Māori. Alongside answering questions, they engage in hands-on activities such as measuring their height, foot length, wrist and thumb circumference, and testing their reaction speed and balance by timing how long they can stand on one leg with their eyes closed.

CensusAtSchool is a non-profit educational project, designed to make statistics engaging and relevant for tamariki and rangatahi. It is run by the Department of Statistics at the University of Auckland, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Stats NZ.

Rachel Cunliffe, co-director of CensusAtSchool, says:
“CensusAtSchool is such a brilliant way to bring statistics to life in the classroom! We’re putting real, relevant data into students’ hands so they can explore what life is like for their generation—while also growing their data science superpower skills.”

Pip Arnold, Statistics Educator and CensusAtSchool Resource Coordinator, says:
“CensusAtSchool gives students a unique opportunity to engage as both participants and data detectives. Since the first New Zealand survey in 2003, participation has grown significantly, and we’ve continually developed resources to support students and teachers. These resources help students collect quality data, understand the process of designing  questionnaires, and explore CensusAtSchool data in ways that align with current curriculum needs.”

The 2025 edition of CensusAtSchool is expected to be the biggest yet, with over 50,000 students anticipated to participate. As of launch day, 863 teachers from 490 schools have already registered.

Check out the questionnaire, explore the live dashboard, and see which schools are participating at: www.censusatschool.org.nz

CensusAtSchool Co-director Rachel Cunliffe was interviewed by Lisa Owen on RNZ’s Checkpoint this afternoon.

Listen:

And, read their follow-up article:
More than 200 schools register for census on New Zealand’s children

The new questionnaire launches in just 13 days on February 25, so now’s the time to sign up.

Quick & Easy Registration

Register now

🔎 See What’s New

👉 Preview the full questionnaire

🚀 Help Spread the Word!

Know a colleague who should be involved? Encourage them to subscribe to our newsletter.

We can’t wait to have you and your students on board for another exciting year of hands-on learning with real data!