That's according to Domain's 2020 School Zones Report, which reveals the 10 primary and secondary school catchment zones across Australia that have seen the highest price growth year-on-year. 

According to the research, which is based on data from Domain's app, the top 10 school zones in terms of price (not school rankings) all recorded at least a 25% growth over 12-months. 

That's a median price growth of at least a quarter. 

Buying a home or looking to refinance? The table below features home loans with some of the lowest interest rates on the market for owner occupiers.

Update resultsUpdate
LenderHome LoanInterest Rate Comparison Rate* Monthly Repayment Repayment type Rate Type Offset Redraw Ongoing Fees Upfront Fees Max LVR Lump Sum Repayment Additional Repayments Split Loan Option TagsFeaturesLinkComparePromoted ProductDisclosure
6.04% p.a.
6.06% p.a.
$3,011
Principal & Interest
Variable
$0
$530
90%
4.6 Star Customer Ratings
  • Available for purchase or refinance, min 10% deposit needed to qualify.
  • No application, ongoing monthly or annual fees.
  • Quick and easy online application process.
Disclosure
5.99% p.a.
5.90% p.a.
$2,995
Principal & Interest
Variable
$0
$0
80%
Apply in minutes
  • No application or ongoing fees. Annual rate discount
  • Unlimited redraws & additional repayments. LVR <80%
  • A low-rate variable home loan from a 100% online lender. Backed by the Commonwealth Bank.
Disclosure
5.69% p.a.
6.16% p.a.
$2,899
Principal & Interest
Fixed
$0
$530
90%
  • Available for purchase or refinance, min 10% deposit needed to qualify.
  • No application, ongoing monthly or annual fees.
  • Flexibility to split your loan with both fixed and variable rates
Disclosure
Important Information and Comparison Rate Warning

Base criteria of: a $400,000 loan amount, variable, fixed, principal and interest (P&I) home loans with an LVR (loan-to-value) ratio of at least 80%. However, the ‘Compare Home Loans’ table allows for calculations to be made on variables as selected and input by the user. Some products will be marked as promoted, featured or sponsored and may appear prominently in the tables regardless of their attributes. All products will list the LVR with the product and rate which are clearly published on the product provider’s website. Monthly repayments, once the base criteria are altered by the user, will be based on the selected products’ advertised rates and determined by the loan amount, repayment type, loan term and LVR as input by the user/you. *The Comparison rate is based on a $150,000 loan over 25 years. Warning: this comparison rate is true only for this example and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in a different comparison rate. Rates correct as of . View disclaimer.

Important Information and Comparison Rate Warning

Domain reports school catchment boundaries can be a critical factor in the property decision-making process, for both investors and owner-occupiers. 

The property platform's Senior Research Analyst Dr Nicola Powell said certain catchment zones can have a positive effect on house prices. 

“Across Australia’s capital cities the catchments with the biggest increase in house prices were spread across inner, middle and outer suburban locations. School zone price growth performance varied enormously, with neighbouring catchments providing very different outcomes for homeowners," Dr Powell said. 

"Some school zones in the same postcode, suburb or with overlapping catchment zones varied in the pace or even direction of house price movement.”

Dr Powell said while school zones have always been crucial for some when deciding to purchase a home, the ability to work from home could place an even greater emphasis on it.

"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," she said. 

"The highest growth rates were across a variety of price-points illustrating the importance of education at all budgets."

See also: House prices to rise 9% in 2021 - ANZ

Which school catchments had the biggest growth?

Perth took the top spot for the primary and secondary school catchment zones that reported the greatest house price growth YoY. 

The Como Primary School catchment ($901,750 median price) and Armadale Senior High School ($325,000 median price) recorded growth of 35.6% and 32.7% respectively. 

Otherwise, the rest of the top 10 was dominated by school zones in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, with one from Canberra and another from Western Australian featuring as well. 

See also: The most affordable and liveable suburbs in Australia revealed

Primary school growth 

SCHOOL NAMESTATEMEDIANYOY
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%

Secondary school growth 

SCHOOL NAMESTATEMEDIANYOY
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’s house price property data, powered by APM. School catchment data provided from a number of sources. School catchment zones are sorted by the annual house price growth of each school catchment.

NSW school catchment growth 

In Sydney, house prices rose across most school catchment zones, with 77% of primary schools and 84% of secondary schools increasing annually.

The highest-growing suburbs were spread out across inner, middle and outer suburban areas: Newport Public School and Epping Boys High School were the best performing catchment zones at 29% and 32.3% on average. 

Victoria school catchment growth 

Melbourne's best performing primary school catchment was Elwood Primary, helping surrounding houses grow 27.2% in value annually. 

Staughton College was the best performing secondary catchment at 28%. 

In Melbourne, three-quarters of primary school zones and 85% of secondary school zones posted positive annual house price growth, with the ten highest massively outperforming the wider city's annual growth. 

Queensland school catchment growth

According to Domain's report, Greater Brisbane secondary school catchments appear to have a more positive impact on house price growth compared to primary school catchments. 

Annually, 72% of secondary school catchments recorded price increases compared to 61% of primary schools. 

Bald Hills State School saw surrounding houses grow by 29.2% yearly, and Flagstone State Community College saw 23.9% growth. 

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash





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