Botany Downs Secondary College
575 Chapel Road, Botany Downs · Auckland — Central
See all schools in Botany Downs →
Composite score
Established
Top 25% in NZ
Rank #510 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Botany Downs Secondary College had 51 international students at the time of its January 2023 ERO review. The school demonstrated compliance with the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021, with highly effective self-review processes and strong commitment to supporting international student wellbeing and engagement.
Best suited for
Students aged 13-18 in Botany Downs looking for a state-funded setting with an established ERO profile.
Is Botany Downs Secondary College a good school?
Botany Downs Secondary College scores 79/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 25% in NZ nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
Summary derived from ERO reports + audited financials + MoE records. Every claim links to its source — see data transparency at the bottom of this page.
Score breakdown
6 axes, each scored 0–100 on a national absolute scale. As at 2025.
L1 93% · L2 91% · UE 73% · below band median (n=66) · why? ▼ hide
Uni 59% · Te Pūkenga 4% · Industry 5% · near band median (n=64) · why? ▼ hide
91% to Y13 · bottom quartile of band (n=66) · why? ▼ hide
standdowns 6.9/1k · suspensions 4.7/1k · exclusions 1.5/1k · below band median (n=536) · why? ▼ hide
+9.1% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · top quartile of band (n=534) · why? ▼ hide
83/100 from ERO review 2016-10 · above band median (n=539) · why? ▼ hide
⚠ Insufficient EQI-band peers (n<10) to compute per-axis percentile context. The score above is absolute; treat it as a single-school read rather than a peer comparison.
Real ERO composite (from the latest review): 83/100.
Latest ERO review
2023-01-17 · Filivaifale Jason Swann, Northern Region | Te Tai Raki
- School Board has attested to meeting Board Administration regulatory and legislative requirements
- School Board has attested to meeting Curriculum regulatory and legislative requirements
- School Board has attested to meeting Management of Health, Safety and Welfare requirements
- School Board has attested to meeting Personnel Management regulatory and legislative requirements
- School Board has attested to meeting Finance regulatory and legislative requirements
"As of May 2022, the Botany Downs Secondary College, School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:"
Composite score across reviews
2 ERO reviews on file, 2012–2016. Click a point to read that review.
Audited financials
Year ended 2025 · Audit opinion: unmodified
Total revenue
$24.98M
Surplus / (deficit)
+$1132k
Net assets / equity
$10.04M
2 years of audited data on file · View full history (Pro)
NCEA achievement
School leavers with NCEA at each level. National average is ~85% (Level 1).
NCEA Level 1 · 2024
92.6%
300 of 324 leavers
-1.6pt vs prior year
NCEA Level 2 · 2024
91.4%
296 of 324 leavers
+3.3pt vs prior year
University Entrance · 2024
73.1%
237 of 324 leavers
+5.8pt vs prior year
Data: Ministry of Education / Education Counts, CC-BY-4.0
Stay-on rate
Percentage of students who stay at school until at least their 17th birthday — the standard NZ proxy for Year-9-to-Year-13 retention.
90.7%
2024 cohort · 324 students
+2.6pt vs 2023
Discipline (age-standardised, per 1,000 students)
Stand-down = sent home temporarily. Suspension = formal investigation. Exclusion = removed from school. National averages shown for comparison.
Stand-downs · 2024
6.9
19 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
4.7
16 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
1.5
4 this year · NZ avg ~1.5
Vocational Pathway Awards
School leavers achieving Vocational Pathway Awards by industry sector (2024).
- Creative Industries 20
- Service Industries 12
- Construction and Infrastructure 4
- Manufacturing and Technology 3
Government funding
Crown funding only (school operations + teacher salaries + property). Excludes locally-raised funds, international fees and trading income — those are in the audited financial report above.
Total Crown funding · 2022
$16.16M
Per-student funding · 2022
$8,062
2018
$12.1M
2019
$13.6M
2020
$14.3M
2021
$14.0M
2022
$16.2M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 09 379
- Year 10 400
- Year 11 419
- Year 12 411
- Year 13+ 386
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- Asian 64.1%
- European/Pākehā 29.2%
- Other / MELAA 7.6%
- Pacific 7.3%
- International 7.2%
- Māori 4.5%
International students
SIEBA member · Day school only
Years accepted
9-13
Principal
Karen Brinsden
Location
575 Chapel Road, Botany Downs. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Botany Downs Secondary College.
Point View School
Contributing · 1.1km · 703 roll
75
-4 vs this
Willowbank School (Howick)
Contributing · 1.6km · 721 roll
66
-13 vs this
Our Lady Star of the Sea School (Howick)
Contributing · 1.8km · 322 roll
72
-7 vs this
Elim Christian College
Composite · 2.2km · 1,018 roll
77
-2 vs this
Baverstock Oaks School
Contributing · 2.4km · 638 roll
47
-32 vs this
Botany Downs School
Contributing · 2.5km · 621 roll
79
0 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Botany Downs Secondary College a good school?
Botany Downs Secondary College scores 79/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Top 25% in NZ nationally. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2023-01 review identified 6 key findings. School Board has attested to meeting Board Administration regulatory and legislative requirements
How do I enrol my child at Botany Downs Secondary College?
Contact the school directly on 09-2732310, email admin@bdsc.school.nz, or visit www.bdsc.school.nz. For state schools, check your home address against the school's enrolment zone — some schools are in-zone-only.
What are the fees?
Botany Downs Secondary College is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Botany Downs Secondary College has 2,005 students, with an EQI of 403 (lower socio-economic need).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Botany Downs Secondary College in 2023-01, signed by Filivaifale Jason Swann. 5 ERO reports are on file in our archive.
Data transparency
Every fact on this page links to its source. We never publish a claim without provenance — read our methodology for the full rules.
Sourced from
- ero.govt.nz
- bdsc.school.nz
- sieba.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz