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House prices in some of Australia’s school catchment areas have soared by as much as 35% over the past 12 months.
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The report highlights school zones in Australia’s major cities where house prices increased the most in the past 12 year.
Demand in these school zone hotspots have skyrocketed as both property buyers and investors look to take advantage of climbing property prices in sought-after areas.
And there is even a mix of suburbs which made the list – from ritzy millionaire suburbs to the more affordable pockets in our cities most sought after areas.
Interestingly, the huge price hike comes amid a market where there is fierce buyer competition in the city’s key family hotspots as both home buyers and investors look for properties with access to certain primary and secondary schools.
What areas came out on top?
According to the data, the primary and secondary school catchment zones where prices jumped the most are surprisingly both in Western Australia’s Perth.The nationwide overview shows school zones in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane also placed within each of the top 10 lists.
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, Domain’s report reveals.
At the top of the list for Australia’s primary school’s is Como Primary School in Perth which saw its house prices skyrocket an enormous 35.6% to a new $901,750 median.
Among primary schools, the fastest house price rises were in the Como Primary School and Dudley Park Primary School catchment areas in Western Australia, which soared 35.6% and 30.8% respectively in 12 months.
The median house prices in both these areas are now reported to be $901,750 in the Como Primary’s School area and $276,000 in the Dudley Park Primary School catchment zone.
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% |
Source: Domain School Zones report 2020. Median sale price is based on 12 months of data to October.
For secondary schools, Western Australia topped the list again thanks to a 32.7% increase in house prices in the Armadale Senior High School catchment zone.
The median house price in the area is $325,000.
Elsewhere in Sydney, Epping Boys High School ranked a very close second with houses in the area growing by 32.3% to a $1.565 median.
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 areas have a huge influence on property prices
While sea views, idyllic streets and open spaces are sought after characteristics for home buyers and investors, school catchment areas are increasingly becoming an important factor when deciding where to purchase a new property.
The fact Domain’s report shows top 10 areas with median house prices spanning a variety of values, and spread across all of Australia’s major cities, shows how important education is for buyers shopping at all price points.
The data suggests certain school zone boundaries can have a significantly positive effect on house prices.
However school zone price growth performance also varied enormously in some areas, with the report showing neighbouring catchment areas can sometimes provide vastly different outcomes in terms of property value.
How is the data calculated?
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.
A full list of Domain Group’s 2020 School Zones Report for each capital city across Australia can be accessed here.
