Don Buck School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 253
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 124 Don Buck Road, Massey, Auckland
- Territorial authority
- Henderson-Massey Local Board Area
- Phone
- 09-8336005
- office@donbuck.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.donbuck.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Auckland
Can my child go here?
This school has an enrolment scheme, so a place is not open to every address. How enrolment zones work
Loading zone map…
Zone boundaries shown here are approximate. Ministry of Education data warns these boundaries do not have high spatial precision and can place neighbouring addresses on different sides of a line. This is not a confirmation of enrolment eligibility — always confirm directly with the school. Zone geometry also does not reflect enrolment priority rules (siblings, special character categories, ballots) — it shows the mapped boundary only.
Check if your address is in zone →
Source: Ministry of Education, CC BY 3.0 NZ
What would the day look like?
The practical things this school states on its own website — the hours, the uniform, the term dates, and how children get there. These are the school’s own words, not the Ministry’s record and not ERO’s.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- School day ends
- 3pm
3pm – Home Time.
- 3pm
- Uniform
- Required
All students attending Don Buck Primary School are required to wear the correct uniform
- Required
- Term dates
- Term 1, 2026: 9th February – 3rd April
Term 1: 9th February – 3rd April
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 2, 2026: 20th April – 3rd July
Term 2: 20th April – 3rd July
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 3, 2026: 20th July – 25th September
Term 3: 20th July – 25th September
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 4, 2026: 12th October – 17th December
Term 4: 12th October – 17th December
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 1, 2026: 9th February – 3rd April
What does the school say about itself?
Quoted, not summarised. Every school describes itself well, so this is here to be read as the school’s own case rather than as a finding — and a school that states nothing simply has no row.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- In their words
- At Don Buck School we believe that we all have the potential to be EXCEPTIONAL.
- EXCEPTIONAL through our skills, talents, passions, and abilities.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 51
- Māori
- 49
- Pacific
- 96
- Asian
- 65
- MELAA
- 19
- Other
- 1
- International
- 0
Roll by year level and age
Shown as context, not ranked, not compared to any average. As at 30 June 2026, from the same annual return as the roll count above.
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 01 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 31 |
| Year 02 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 34 |
| Year 03 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 30 |
| Year 04 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 38 |
| Year 05 | 3 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 25 |
| Year 06 | 3 | 15 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 29 |
| Year 07 | 10 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 34 |
| Year 08 | 7 | 12 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 41 |
| Total | 41 | 103 | 73 | 14 | 4 | 46 | 0 | 262 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 30 |
| Age 06 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 35 |
| Age 07 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
| Age 08 | 5 | 13 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 39 |
| Age 09 | 4 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 26 |
| Age 10 | 4 | 17 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 32 |
| Age 11 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 28 |
| Age 12 | 6 | 12 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 37 |
| Age 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Total | 41 | 103 | 73 | 14 | 4 | 46 | 0 | 262 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
122.2%
| Don Buck School | 122.2% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 29.7% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 71.4% |
|---|---|
| Male | 181.8% |
| Māori | 144.7% |
| Pacific | 210.7% |
| Asian | 41.3% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 150.6% |
| Total | 122.2% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison stand-down rates data (2024)
Age-standardised suspension rate per 1,000 students — 2024
9.4%
| Don Buck School | 9.4% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 3% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 17.4% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 29.3% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 9.4% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison suspension rates data (2024)
Age-standardised exclusion rate per 1,000 students — 2024
9.5%
| Don Buck School | 9.5% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 1.4% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 17.8% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 29.6% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 9.5% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 494
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 29 January 1980
The Equity Index is used by the Ministry to allocate equity funding. It describes the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, not how good the school is. How the Equity Index works
What did ERO find?
The Education Review Office reviews every school and publishes what it finds in full. We quote ERO’s report here, section by section, in ERO’s own words and order, and link to it. We do not summarise a report, pick a line out of one, or turn one into a score. How ERO reviews schools
- Reports ERO holds
- 4
- Last reviewed
- 2 November 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (2 November 2023)
A board assurance statement is the board’s own account of whether it took all reasonable steps to meet its legal obligations, on the date shown. It is not ERO’s finding. ERO reports separately, in the same report, on any non-compliance it identified during that process.
The same report — the board assurance report of 2 November 2023 — also sets out actions for compliance: the non-compliance ERO identified during that process. This is that section of the report in full, in ERO’s words.
ERO and the board have identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
Ensuring all teachers have a current practising certificate. [Section 92(2) Education and Training Act 2020]
The board has since addressed the area of non-compliance identified.
The roll ERO recorded, and when
ERO writes a roll into each report it publishes: a count taken for that report, on the day shown, by the review team that was there. The Ministry of Education’s current roll for this school is 253 — the figure at the top of this page, and the one to use for how big the school is now. These are a different measurement by a different body, so they will rarely agree, and a difference between them is not a change in the school.
April 2018
282
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 7 June 2018
April 2013
209
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 13 June 2013
We draw no line between these. Each was counted for its own report, years apart, by a different review team, and a roll moves between reviews for reasons none of these figures record — so the difference between any two of them measures nothing.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 2 November 2023 — “Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
Background
This Profile Report was written within 6 months of the Education Review Office and Don Buck School working in Te Ara Huarau , an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz
Context
Don Buck School is located in Massey, Auckland and caters for students in Years 1 to 8. The school vision is for all ākonga to be exceptional through their skills, talents, and passions. This vision guides the school to positively affect the lives of teachers, tamariki and the community.
Don Buck School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
develop the DBS culture of teaching and learning.
growing exceptional teaching.
building Don Buck School as a community hub.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Don Buck School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to determine the impact of consistent effective teacher practices and processes on improving positive learner outcomes.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
to ensure all ākonga access and experience high quality teaching and learning where learner needs are consistently prioritised.
to provide and connect whānau and learners with snapshots of real-time agentic learning usi ng online tools, and through open class sessions.
explor ative learning foci that support learners building curiosity and creativity.
alignment with National Education Learning Priorities (NELP), to ensure barrier free access to learning.
to give life and focus to the vision of the ‘DBS Beat’ and school values.
The school expects to see:
consistent and adaptive teaching practices, focussed on creating opportunities that support engaged, agentic and challenged learners, all focused on improving learning outcomes.
progress and achievement tracked, analysed, and used by teachers and leaders with a focus on building capacity and capability explicitly in numeracy and literacy to ensure equitable outcomes.
teachers knowing their learners and knowing the practices that enable them to reach their and their learners ‘exceptional’ potential.
grow leadership for all.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to determine the impact of consistent effective teacher practices and processes on positive learner outcomes:
ākonga have a powerful sense of belonging.
tuakana-teina relationships embedded into the school vision and WAKA values.
a school culture focused on improving teaching and learning.
vision encapsulates a shared language focused on being exceptional together.
openness to the community and working towards becoming a community hub.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
gap analysis and acceleration practices, focused on lifting student progress and achievement, explicitly in literacy and numeracy.
continuing to relentlessly focus on attendance with the aim of 90 percent regular attendees.
an ongoing focus on building consistency in the practices and processes of teaching and learning.
reviewing internal evaluative practices to consider schoolwide consistency and best practice systems.
developing coaching, with the leaders using a common language to work alongside and support teacher growth.
strengthening whānau /parent and community partnerships around ‘learning talk’.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
2 November 2023
About the School
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →
All 4 reports ERO holds for this school
ERO reviews a school every few years — around four years between reviews is the usual cycle — so an older date here reflects where a school sits in that cycle, not how it is doing.
Source: Education Review Office, CC BY 4.0.
Roll date: 30 June 2026 (2026).