Last updated November 2026
Longburn School is a state, co-educational full primary school for Years 1 to 8 at 4A Carey Street, Longburn, Palmerston North. It opened in 1877 and had 87 students on its roll at 1 September 2026.
Its home zone includes parts of Longburn, Awapuni, Tiakitahuna, Westbrook and Highbury; the zone map below shows the full boundary. The school’s site says te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language are compulsory for all students, and older students are encouraged to take up another language as well.
Student teams and clubs include a Dr Dolittle group that looks after the school’s animals, an Enviro Team for the gardens and nature reserve, robotics, chess and bonsai, and summer and winter sports teams play in local competitions.
At a glance
- Principal
- Rosalind Burnett
- Address
- 4A Carey Street, Longburn, Palmerston North
- Phone
- 06 355 1642
Home zone
Parts of these suburbs: Longburn Palmerston North, Awapuni Palmerston North, Tiakitahuna near Palmerston North, Westbrook Palmerston North and Highbury: 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.
Who goes here
Share of the 87 students who identify with each group. Students can name more than one, so these add up to more than 100%.
MELAA: Middle Eastern, Latin American and African.
What ERO found
The Education Review Office’s latest report on the school is a School Evaluation Report from March 2025. ERO found that a majority of students were working at the expected curriculum level in reading and maths, and a small majority in writing, with leaders and teachers responding to uneven results for some groups, especially boys.
Students have a strong sense of belonging and are supported to feel confident in who they are. Leaders plan improvement carefully and draw on outside expertise, and the school works closely with mana whenua on its curriculum. A majority of students attend regularly, which is short of the Government’s target.
The next steps agreed with ERO are more explicit teaching to keep lifting progress, faster progress for students who need it with a focus on writing and maths, continued weaving of te reo Māori, tikanga and mātauranga Māori through classroom programmes, and further work to improve regular attendance.
Read the ERO reports for Longburn School
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. The school publishes its out-of-zone places and ballot dates on its enrolment advertisement page, and families can enrol with a printable form or online.
Schools nearby
Where students go next
Based on home zones around the school’s own address. Families can apply to any school, and your own address decides which zones you are in.
In Longburn Palmerston North
Longburn School is in Longburn Palmerston North. Our suburb guide covers what it is like to live there, with parks, places and local businesses.
Read our Longburn Palmerston North guide →Questions parents ask
Is Longburn School zoned?
It has a home zone covering parts of Longburn Palmerston North, Awapuni Palmerston North, Tiakitahuna near Palmerston North, Westbrook Palmerston North and Highbury.
What years does it teach?
Years 1 to 8.
How many students go there?
87 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?
489. 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.
Updated automatically when the Ministry publishes new data.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Sources and data notes 1
- School facts: School details and roll: Ministry of Education school directory, 24 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).