Paquin was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the daughter of Mary Paquin (née Brophy), an English teacher and native ofWellington, New Zealand, and Brian Paquin, a high school physical education teacher, native French Canadian. Paquin has two older siblings: a brother, Andrew, a director, born in 1977, and a sister, Katya, born in 1980,[2][3] who is the partner of the Green Party of New Zealand co-leader Russel Norman.[4] Paquin's family moved to New Zealand when she was four. She attended the Raphael House Rudolf Steiner School until she was eight or nine.[5] Her musical childhood hobbies in New Zealand included playing the viola, cello, and piano. She also participated in gymnastics, ballet, swimming and downhill skiing, though she did not have any hobbies related to acting.[6][7]
While in New Zealand, Paquin attended Hutt Intermediate School from 1994–95. Having begun her secondary education in Wellington at Wellington Girls' College, she completed her high school diploma at Windward School in Los Angeles, after moving to the US with her mother following her parents' divorce in 1995.[8] She graduated from Windward School in June 2000 and completed the school's community service requirement by working in a soup kitchen and at a special education center. She studied at Columbia University for one year, but has since been on a leave of absence to continue her acting career.