If you have children that attend a private school, you know just how much that can sting your household budget. Many parents feel like they’re working just to keep up with the school fees, not to mention all that goes along with a private school education. A life of status that’s driving most of us to exhaustion.

So, it’s no surprise many families are choosing great areas that have great public schools. And this is really helping with the property prices in these areas. House prices in some of Australia’s school catchment areas have soared by as much as 35% over the past 12 months.

Last year wasn’t a peak year for the Australia wide property market for obvious reasons. However, the top 10 primary and top 10 secondary school catchment zones nationwide all reported house price growth of at least 25% year-on-year! As reported by the Domain Group.

Demand in these school zone hotspots have jumped as both family property buyers and investors look to take advantage of climbing property prices in sought-after areas. And the suburbs that made the list are all very different – from ritzy millionaire suburbs to the more affordable locations.

Both families and investors are buying in these areas because of the access to certain primary and secondary schools. So, hot tip, keep an eye on leading schools if you’re looking for a location to invest in.

What areas came out on top nationwide?

According to Domain data, the primary and secondary school catchment zones where prices jumped the most were in Perth. At the top of the list for Australia’s primary schools is Como Primary School in Perth which saw house prices skyrocket an enormous 35.6% to a new $901,750 median.

We also see school zones in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane also placed within each of the top 10 lists. The Domain report reveals in Australia’s capital city markets, the school catchments with the biggest increase in house prices were spread across inner, middle and outer suburban locations.

Australia’s top 10 primary school zones for house price growth

RANKING	SCHOOL NAME	STATE	MEDIAN HOUSE PRICE	YOY GROWTH
1	Como Primary School	WA	$901,750	+35.6%
2	Dudley Park Primary School	WA	$276,000	+30.8%
3	Bald Hills State School	QLD	$675,000	+29.2%
4	Newport Public School	NSW	$2,000,000	+29%
5	Wynnum West State School	QLD	$547,500	+28.8%
6	Rainworth State School	QLD	$1,150,000	+27.8%
7	Elwood Primary School	VIC	$1,730,000	+27.2%
8	Ipswich Central State School	QLD	$365,000	+27%
9	Avalon Public School	NSW	$2,562,500	+26.5%
10	Cannon Hill State School	QLD	$755,000	+25.8%

Australia’s top 10 high school zones for house price growth

RANKING	SCHOOL NAME	STATE`	MEDIAN HOUSE PRICE	YOY GROWTH
1	Armadale Senior High School	WA	$325,000	+32.7%
2	Epping Boys High School	NSW	$1,565,000	+32.3%
3	Colo High School	NSW	$600,000	+31.9%
4	Applecross Senior High School	WA	$1,030,000	+28.9%
5	Willoughby Girls High School	NSW	$3,115,000	+28.6%
6	Staughton College	VIC	$480,000	+28%
7	Ryde Secondary College	NSW	$1,530,000	+27.5%
8	Rosebud Secondary College	VIC	$796,000	+27.4%
9	Belconnen High School	ACT	$707,600	+26.4%
10	Albert Park College	VIC	$1,695,000	+25.6%

Source: Domain School Zones report 2020. Median sale price is based on 12 months of data to October.

School catchment zones in Sydney

The data reveals that Sydney school catchment zones are influencing property prices, with primary school zones having a bigger impact.

We can see house prices have risen across most school catchment zones, with 77% of primary schools and 84% of secondary schools increasing annually.

Spread across inner, middle and outer suburban areas, the top ten growth rates for primary and secondary school catchment zones ranged from 20% to 32%. Annual house price growth in almost half of the government school zones outpaced Sydney’s, with some rising more than three times faster.

Top Sydney locations

1.Newport Public School $2,000,000 + 29%

2.Avalon Public School $2,562,500 +26.5%

3.Willoughby Public School$3,012,500 + 24.2%

4.Rozelle Public School$1,750,000 +21.5%

5.Kellyville Public School$1,317,500 +21.1%

6.Taverners Hill Infants School$1,498,000 +20.8%

7.Mosman Public School$5,050,000 +20.5%

8.Beaumont Hills Public School$1,184,500 +20%

9.Vaucluse Public School$4,430,000 +19.7%

10.Penrith South Public School$675,000 +19.5% 

Buy in a great school catchment area. Watch your property price rise.

It should be one of your boxes to tick these days. It’s not all idyllic streets and open spaces, people need to be practical too – and financially savvy. You can’t deny the data – it’s telling us certain school boundaries are influencing property prices. So kids, or no kids, it’s something to keep in mind for your next property purchase.