Private schools are crying foul at the axing of scholarships that allowed children from low-income and often challenging backgrounds to join their rolls.

Independent Schools New Zealand executive director Deborah James says Aspire scholarships have been of huge benefit to hundreds of students who have achieved great academic, sporting and cultural success, as well as contributing positively to school environments.

Grant Lander, headmaster of Hamilton's St Paul’s Collegiate School, says the priority learners, who were often Maori and Pasifika, may not have completed secondary schooling without the personalised and supportive environment available in independent schools.

But Associate Education Minister Jenny Salesa says the scholarships, which were part of the ACT Party's coalition agreement with National, were poorly targeted, often funding those who were already enrolled in private schools.

The $4 million a year cost would be better spent strengthening state and state-integrated schools to ensure education works for all children.

Students already attending a private school on an Aspire scholarship will receive their full scholarship entitlement until they decide to leave.

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