Last updated October 2026
Bream Bay College is a state, co-educational secondary school for Years 7 to 13 at 2 Peter Snell Road, Ruakaka. It opened in 1972 and had 617 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes all of Takahiwai, Mata, One Tree Point, Marsden Point, Springfield and Ruakākā, and parts of Oakleigh; the zone map below shows the full boundary.
The school runs Te Rerenga Kōtuku, a bilingual Māori unit named for the school’s link with Patuharakeke, and its site lists a wide range of sport, from surfing, waka ama and equestrian to rugby, netball and hockey.
Senior students work towards NCEA with Gateway and careers support, and the school takes international students in Years 9 to 13, who live with local homestay families.
At a glance
- Principal
- Julian Cosgrove
- Address
- 2 Peter Snell Road, Ruakaka
- Phone
- 09 432 8226
Home zone
Suburbs in the zone: all of Ruakākā, Takahiwai, One Tree Point, Mata, Springfield and Marsden Point.
Parts of Oakleigh: check your street.
Zone boundaries are set by the school’s enrolment scheme and can change. Confirm your address with the school before you rely on it.
NCEA results
School leavers with NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with all New Zealand school leavers.
This school New Zealand
School leavers are students who left school that year, whatever year level they left from.
Who goes here
Share of the 617 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
8 international students
MELAA: Middle Eastern, Latin American and African.
Stand-downs and suspensions
Cases per 1,000 students in 2025, adjusted for the ages of the school’s students, compared with all New Zealand schools.
These measure how a school responds to behaviour, and schools set their own thresholds, so they are not a measure of how students behave.
What ERO found
The Education Review Office’s latest report on the school is a School Evaluation Report from April 2025. ERO found that structured literacy teaching in Years 7 and 8 had lifted spelling and made literacy teaching more consistent across the school, and that relationships between staff and students are increasingly built on trust and respect.
Most students gain NCEA at Levels 1, 2 and 3, but fewer than half achieve University Entrance, only a small majority of Years 7 to 10 students are at expected curriculum levels, and the school has yet to close the gap for Māori learners, especially in mathematics. Only a small majority of students attend regularly, below the government target.
ERO and the school agreed to focus next on lifting attendance, strengthening the Years 7 to 10 curriculum and assessment so that Māori learners in particular do better, making teaching more consistent across the school, embedding the school’s MANA values, and growing te reo Māori capability in Te Rerenga Kōtuku.
Read the ERO reports for Bream Bay College
Enrolling
Students who live in the home zone have the right to enrol. Out-of-zone places are offered under the school’s enrolment scheme, by ballot when there are more applicants than places.
To enrol, families complete the online application form and upload the documents the school asks for, such as proof of address and a recent school report, and the school then gets in touch to book an enrolment appointment.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Schools nearby
In Ruakākā
Bream Bay College is in Ruakākā. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Ruakākā guide →Questions parents ask
Is Bream Bay College zoned?
It has a home zone covering all of Ruakākā, Takahiwai, One Tree Point, Mata, Springfield and Marsden Point and parts of Oakleigh.
What years does it teach?
Years 7 to 13.
How many students go there?
617 at 1 Sep 2026.
Does it ask for donations?
No. It is in the donation scheme, so it only asks for donations for school camps.
What is its Equity Index?
482. The Ministry of Education’s Equity Index estimates the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, from 344 (fewest) to 569 (most). It is used to share out funding, not as a measure of quality.
How did its school leavers do in NCEA?
In 2025, 71.9% of its school leavers had NCEA Level 2 or above, compared with 77.8% of all New Zealand school leavers.
School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 22 Oct 2026 (CC BY 4.0). Home zone: Ministry of Education enrolment zones (CC BY 4.0). NCEA results, roll history and stand-downs: Education Counts, school leavers 2023 to 2025, stand-downs 2025, rolls 2021 to 2025 (CC BY 4.0). Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.