NAPLAN vs home prices: Ultimate buyers guide to almost 500 SA schools
Analysis of SA school performance and home values has revealed where parents may want to look for an A+ education that won’t break the bank.
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A quality public or private school is a huge attraction for family buyers, with househunters paying top dollar to get their child into their dream school zone.
Just ask the Zachariah family, who moved house purely to ensure their daughter was within the best school catchment zone.
“We were very keen to get admission for our daughter, Zaneta at The Heights School, which is one of the top schools in Adelaide,” Adelaide University research officer Martil Zachariah, 42, told The Advertiser.
While Mrs Zarchariah and husband Tino’s househunt “was a hard experience” spent scouring listings only for properties in the Heights School’s zone, thanks to new data, you won’t have to.
The Advertiser’s Bang For Buck analysis showing you could save thousands by looking for more affordable options in a chosen school zone, or opting for an equivalent NAPLAN-scoring school in a different area.
Analysing 494 SA public primary and high schools, Bang For Buck identifies high- performing state schools and the most affordable property markets in their catchments.
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“We moved house to get our daughter into a great school”
The formula uses latest NAPLAN data, median house values supplied by PropTrack, and school catchment mapping to deliver insight into an issue that compels many parents to move suburbs to secure a place for their child at a preferred school.
The significant influence of a NAPLAN score on property prices is reflected in the 70/30 per cent weighting and the Bang For Buck ranking.
Those looking to buy a house in a quality high school zone on a budget need look no further than Modbury Heights, with a median of $691,700 and a Bang for Buck score of 28.5.
That will get you into The Heights School, which has a NAPLAN average of 583.
Brighton Secondary School and Unley High School, in comparison, each have a NAPLAN score of 583.4 and medians of $1.061m and $1.113m respectively.
St Clair, in Woodville High School zone, the city in Adelaide High School zone, and Modbury in Modbury High School zone all offered the next best Bang for Buck scores.
Interestingly, just three of the top 10 suburbs required a budget of more than $1m.
Those looking for a unit in one of our top-performing secondary school zones need spend far less, with all but two of the top 10 Bang For Buck suburbs carrying median prices of less than $600,000.
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Salisbury East units get you into the 545.6 NAPLAN-scoring Salisbury East High School for just $436,500. Things start getting pricier when you look at houses in our top-performing primary school zones, with just four of the top 10 Bang For Buck suburbs below $1m, and the highest being more than $2m for a Burnside house in the 555.8 NAPLAN-scoring Burnside Primary School zone.
The best bang for your buck there was found to be Campbelltown, which will get you into East Marden Primary School for $873,800.
The Heights School deputy principal Val Westwell said interest in the 1800-student preschool to year 12 school had been strong.
“For several years we’ve seen a healthy level of inquiries and, yes, we do get inquiries from families who are out of catchment,” she said.
“We feel very fortunate to have a community of families who value education highly and partner with us to best support their children.”
PropTrack economist Paul Ryan said it was clear school zones were a significant factor for many buyers.
“It is often one of the key amenities they look for,” he said. “And where there is a good school, there is competition and being in a certain catchment becomes a major selling point.”
Harris Real Estate managing director Phil Harris said the “right” school zone was an essential search criteria for many buyers and renters.
“There’s absolutely no doubt a home’s school zone affects its value, with a favourable zoning increasing its sale price, and we’re seeing that time and again at auction where people have paid more because they just had to get into a particular zone,” he said.
“Everyone wants to give their children the best opportunity.”
He said shrinking household budgets had made many who might find private education out of reach turn to public education. “It has been magnified in recent years by cost-of-living pressures and housing unaffordability,” he said.
He warned buyers to keep in mind a home in a school zone did not necessarily come with a certainty of a position there.
“Buyers need to not be naive and assume that buying a property will guarantee you access to a school,” he said.
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