Epsom Girls Grammar School (often simplified to Epsom Girls, or EGGS) is a state secondary school for girls ranging from years 9 to 13 in Auckland, New Zealand. It has a roll of nearly 2,300 as of 2026, making it one of the largest schools in New Zealand.
The principal is Brenda McNaughton, the 12th principal, who succeeded Lorraine Pound in 2024. She succeeds a long line of distinguished educators such as Margaret Bendall and Marjory Adams.
Contents
History
Epsom Girls Grammar School was established through an endowment of land in 1850 and officially opened on 12 February 1917 with 174 students. Establishing Epsom Girls was described as a "struggle", as "despite a clear need for a second girls’ school in Auckland, education administrators continued to prioritise boys’ education. Eventually EGGS emerged as an old, adapted Villa and a handful of classrooms on the Silver Road site. When the doors opened in 1917 the School had already exceeded capacity."
Boarding facilities are provided on-site at Epsom House, providing full accommodation for 150 students from overseas and rural New Zealand.
The Old Girls Association was established in 1921, and holds a number of events each year for alumnae.
In 2021, Metro (magazine) reported that Epsom Girls Grammar School was the top performing non-religious state school in Auckland over the last five years (based on Ministry of Education data of the five-year average of university entrance attainment).
Property prices in the Epsom Girls Grammar School and Auckland Grammar School school zones (known as the "double Grammar zone") are particularly high - Epsom Girls is the second most expensive school zone to buy in within Auckland (with the first being Auckland Grammar School). The zone covers large swathes of four of the city’s highest value suburbs – Remuera, Epsom, Parnell and Mount Eden. Real estate agents have commented that being in the "double Grammar zone" could add up to $500,000 to the value of a family home.
Enrolment
As of July 2026, Epsom Girls' Grammar School has a roll of 2,316 students, of which 216 (9.3%) identify as Māori.
As of 2026, the school has an Equity Index of 402, placing it amongst schools whose students have the fewest socioeconomic barriers to achievement (roughly equivalent to deciles 9 and 10 under the former socio-economic decile system).
Principals
Annie Christina Morrison 1917–1929
Agnes L. Laudon 1930–1947
Margaret G. Johnston 1948–1952
Marjory F.E. Adams 1953–1970
Alisa M. Blakey 1970–1979
Gaewyn E. Griffiths 1979–1988
Verna E. Dowdle 1988–1996
Margaret A. Bendall 1996–2004
Annette Sharp 2005–2008
Madeline J. Gunn 2008–2016
Lorraine Pound 2016–2023
Brenda McNaughton 2024–present
Notable alumnae
Media and the arts
Deidre Airey – ceramic artist
Petra Bagust – television presenter
Ruth Castle – weaver
Chaii – rapper and songwriter
Angela D'Audney – television news anchor
Jude Dobson – television presenter
Eve de Castro-Robinson – composer
Hinemoa Elder – youth forensic psychiatrist and former television presenter
Kate Elliott (actress) – television and film actress
Tui Flower – food writer
Rosalie Gascoigne – sculptor and artist
May Gilbert – printmaker and artist
Lisa Harrow – actress
Kate Hawkesby – television presenter and radio broadcaster
Hayley Holt – television presenter
Rowena Jackson MBE – ballerina and later artistic director of the New Zealand Ballet Company
Florence Myrtle Keene – historian and author
Yvonne Lawley – actress
Tianyi Lu – orchestral conductor