One of the clearest indicators of a thriving school is how students engage in their learning. Content matters, but it is the day-to-day experience in the classroom that determines whether learning truly sticks.
At University High School, we see student engagement as a defining strength of our academic program.
To better understand that engagement, we use the Wellington Engagement Index (WEI), a tool that captures how students experience each class. Students evaluate their courses along two dimensions, enjoyment and challenge, by placing a point on a simple grid.
The result reflects four types of experiences:
- Engaged: high challenge, high enjoyment
- Grind: high challenge, low enjoyment
- Entertained: low challenge, high enjoyment
- Bored: low challenge, low enjoyment
Our goal is not for every class to land in the same place. A strong academic program includes a range of experiences, as diverse as the students themselves.
Still, our data tells a clear story: the vast majority of classroom experiences at University fall in the engaged category, where students are both challenged and finding genuine joy in their work.
Learn more about our WEI results by watching the 2026 State of the School address by Head of School Alicia LaMagdeleine, linked here.