Top 10 School Catchments for House Price Growth
The top 10 primary and secondary school catchment zones across Australia all reported house price growth of more than 25 per cent year-on-year, reveals a new report by Domain.
When it comes to the greatest house price growth, Perth ranked first in both primary and secondary school catchment zones, recording the greatest house price growth, up 35.6 per cent and 32.7 per cent, respectively.
The national overview shows Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney schools zones also ranked in the top 10 list.
Across Australia’s capital city markets, the school catchments with the biggest increase in house prices were spread across inner, middle and outer suburban locations, shows Domain’s 2020 School Zones Report.
Domain’s senior research analyst Dr Nicola Powell says the boundary of public school catchment zones has a huge influence on property decisions.
“And the data suggests certain ones can have a positive effect on house prices,” Powell said.
“School zone price growth performance varied enormously, with neighbouring catchments providing very different outcomes for homeowners.”
Top 10 primary school catchment zones
| School | State | Median | Yoy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Como Primary School | WA | $901,750 | +35.6%▲ |
| Dudley Park Primary School | WA | $276,000 | +30.8%▲ |
| Bald Hills State School | QLD | $675,000 | +29.2%▲ |
| Newport Public School | NSW | $2,000,000 | +29%▲ |
| Wynnum West State School | QLD | $547,500 | +28.8%▲ |
| Rainworth State School | QLD | $1,150,000 | +27.8%▲ |
| Elwood Primary School | VIC | $1,730,000 | +27.2%▲ |
| Ipswich Central State School | QLD | $365,000 | +27%▲ |
| Avalon Public School | NSW | $2,562,500 | +26.5%▲ |
| Cannon Hill State School | QLD | $755,000 | +25.8%▲ |
▲Domain’s 2020 School Zone Report
School catchment zones have long been an important factor in deciding where to purchase a home.
While house price growth is usually reported based on capital cities and suburbs, Powell says considering school catchment zones, rather than cities and suburbs, provides a new perspective into housing price trends.
Powell said the highest housing price growth rates spanned a variety of price-points.
“Illustrating the importance of education at all budgets,” Powell said.
“This highlights the effect falling into a particular school catchment zone can potentially have on property price.”
And with the greater ability to work remotely, Powell says this could place additional emphasis on the importance of school catchments.
“Those on higher wages are more likely to be able to adopt flexible working arrangements, this could place additional pressure on home values, particularly in desirable regional or outer suburban locations.”
Top 10 secondary schools catchment zones
| School | State | Median | Yoy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armadale Senior High School | WA | $325,000 | +32.7%▲ |
| Epping Boys High School | NSW | $1,565,000 | +32.3%▲ |
| Colo High School | NSW | $600,000 | +31.9%▲ |
| Applecross Senior High School | WA | $1,030,000 | +28.9%▲ |
| Willoughby Girls High School | NSW | $3,115,000 | +28.6%▲ |
| Staughton College | VIC | $480,000 | +28%▲ |
| Ryde Secondary College | NSW | $1,530,000 | +27.5%▲ |
| Rosebud Secondary College | VIC | $796,000 | +27.4%▲ |
| Belconnen High School | ACT | $707,600 | +26.4%▲ |
| Albert Park College | VIC | $1,695,000 | +25.6%▲ |
▲Domain’s 2020 School Zone Report
Domain sorted the school catchment zones based on the annual house price growth in each school catchment.
It then calculates annual house price growth by comparing the median sale price of all houses sold in a school catchment zone from November 2019 through to October 2020 to the median sale price from November 2018 to October 2019 using APM data.
When it comes to education, the Domain School Zones Report notes it is not implying that any school is a "top-performing" school. The rankings is not a list of top-performing schools based on NAPLAN or testing results, rather top growth zones for housing.
“Parents should do their own research when deciding which schools to consider,” Powell said.
A full list of the school zones report for each capital city across Australia, can be accessed here.
