Prime Minister John Key says the decision to merge two Christchurch schools was the right one.
The Minister of Education on Wednesday announced Phillipstown School will close and its students sent to nearby Woolston School.
The primary school has resisted the closure since it was announced 18 months ago as part of a post-quake overhaul of the region's education system.
Mr Key said it is obviously a difficult time for the families, but he believes most parents in Christchurch recognise the mergers in the city will deliver better schooling facilities.