Key facts
- School number6759
- School typeContributing · Years 1–6
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established31 December 2007
About Snells Beach Primary School
Snells Beach Primary School (SBS) is a state primary school located at Snells Beach in the Mahurangi East area, approximately 45 minutes north of Auckland. It opened in February 2009 and caters for students in Years 1 to 6.
The school operates within a defined enrolment zone covering the Mahurangi East Peninsula, from Sandspit through to Martins Bay and Scotts Landing, and including Kawau Island.
The school acknowledges Ngāti Manuhiri as mana whenua. The iwi gifted the school its te reo name, Te Kura o Ngā Manu o Te Ngahere (The school of birds of the forest). This name reflects the school's physical layout: each classroom block is named after a native tree found in the local area — including Nīkau and Rātā — with students described as birds moving between them.
The school describes itself as semi-rural and places emphasis on engagement with the surrounding natural environment, including Snells Beach, Scandrett Regional Park, and the Mahurangi River.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
With an Equity Index of 437, Snells Beach Primary School is in the range eligible to opt into the Ministry's donations scheme — receiving additional government funding per student in exchange for not seeking donations (except for overnight camps).
Check directly with the school for current charges, contributions or other costs. Learn more on the donations scheme or fees and charges at school, both on education.govt.nz.
Equity Index
The Ministry publishes this figure as a bare number — KuraData shows it against the directory-wide average, so you can see where Snells Beach Primary School actually sits, not just the number on its own.
The Equity Index estimates the socio-economic barriers students face, on average, and is used to inform government funding and support. It is not a measure of school quality or academic performance.
Higher values indicate a higher level of estimated socio-economic barriers; lower values indicate fewer. Learn how the Equity Index is calculated →
Student ethnicity
The Ministry publishes this as a raw table — here it's visualised directly against Snells Beach Primary School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 305 students (85.4%)
- Asian — 27 students (7.6%)
- Pacific — 27 students (7.6%)
- Māori — 70 students (19.6%)
- MELAA — 17 students (4.8%)
- Other — 10 students (2.8%)
Percentages may sum to more than 100% because students can identify with more than one ethnic group.
Location
- Street address62 Dawson Road
- CitySnells Beach
- Local authorityRodney Local Board Area
Official contact details
- ContactTrent Morley (Acting)
- Phone+64 9 425 6058
- Emailadmin@snellsbeach.school.nz
- Websitewww.snellsbeach.school.nz
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Snells Beach Primary School, regardless of year level.
-
The Forest School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 14.9 km
-
KingsWay School Composite · Years 1–15 · 20 km
-
Gulf Harbour School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 21.4 km
-
Wentworth College Secondary · Years 7–15 · 21.4 km
-
Wentworth Primary Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 21.6 km
Explore schools in Snells Beach
Browse Snells Beach schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Enrolment
Snells Beach Primary School operates within a defined enrolment zone covering the Mahurangi East Peninsula. The zone begins at the intersection of Sandspit Road and Mahurangi East Road, extends east along Sandspit Road and all side roads, follows the coastline around the Mahurangi Peninsula to Grange Street, then runs along Grange Street, Lawrie Road, and back to Mahurangi East Road. Kawau Island is also included in the zone. All children residing within this zone have the right to enrol.
To begin enrolment, families are asked to contact the school office — open Monday to Friday, 8am–3:30pm — to notify the school of their intention to enrol and collect an enrolment pack.
Out-of-zone places may be available for Year 1, 2, and 3 students for 2027 (Term 1 start). The number of available places depends on in-zone demand. Out-of-zone applicants must submit the official out-of-zone application form by email to Office Manager Marissa Bale at mbale@snellsbeach.school.nz, or apply via an online form. If applications exceed available places, a ballot is held. For the 2027 intake, the application closing date is Wednesday 14 October 2026, with the ballot scheduled for Wednesday 21 October 2026.
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Snells Beach Primary School's own official Ministry of Education data already shown on this page, so what you read here always matches the figures above.
Sources & methodology
Every fact on this page traces back to one of the rows below — official Ministry of Education data, or Snells Beach Primary School's own published information, reviewed before publication. Nothing here is inferred or estimated beyond what its source actually states.
| Data | Source | Data period | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| School characteristics | Ministry of Education | — | 15 October 2026 |
| Student roll | Ministry of Education / Education Counts | September 2026 | 15 October 2026 |
| Equity Index | Education Counts | — | 15 October 2026 |
| Address & coordinates | Ministry of Education | — | 15 October 2026 |
| Contact details | NZ Schools Directory | Current | 15 October 2026 |
| School information (AI-curated, human-reviewed) | Snells Beach Primary School's official website | Current | 12 October 2026 |