Mapped: Cheapest homes near Gold Coast’s best NAPLAN schools

Find the suburbs with affordable housing in school zones with top NAPLAN results. SEARCH FULL INTERACTIVE

A new analysis has revealed the local property markets given top marks by parents scrambling to secure a home within the catchment for high-performing state schools.

News Corp’s Bang for Buck is a comprehensive tool identifying the most affordable suburbs surrounding top-ranked schools, as the quest for an A+ education drives demand in the most sought-after catchments.

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 families to relocate in order to snag a place for their kids at a preferred school.

The significant influence of a NAPLAN score on local property prices is reflected in the index’s 70/30 percent weighting, and the overall Bang For Buck ranking.

On the Gold Coast, popular primary schools including Varsity College, Broadbeach State School and Benowa State School all made the top 10 ranking.

But the tiny Springbrook State School, servicing the surrounding Hinterland community, recorded the top Bang for Buck score (46.5) for affordability and academic results — no doubt bolstered by the entry-level priced property in the town.

My First year for Springbrook State school prep class (L-R) Fletcher, Edie, Reuben, and Evie. Picture Glenn Hampson.

Springbrook State School NAPLAN average was 506, while parents can buy a house in feeder suburbs for a relatively affordable $765,300 — the cheapest of the index’s top picks — compared to the city median of about $1m.

By comparison, Elanora State School’s NAPLAN average was about the same at 506.4, but the southern suburb’s higher median price of $1,272,100 meant a lower final Bang for Buck score of 36.7

Varsity College (44) and Bellevue Park SS (41.5) were ranked second and third of primary schools.

Spectacular rainforest surrounds and a tight-knit community are on offer in Springbrook. This house is listed at offers above $950,000

Other Gold Coast primary schools in the top 10 were: Arundel, Currumbin Valley, Tallebudgera, Tamborine Mountain, and Robina State Schools.

The Hinterland was again in front for secondary education. Tamborine Mountain State High School took top position, with a NAPLAN average of 603.8 and a typical house in the suburb of Tamborine Mountain priced at $977,200 returning a score of 17.

Southport State High School and Varsity College offered the next best bang for buck among local secondary school catchments with respective NAPLAN averages of 569.8 and 578.6, and median house prices of $918,500 and $1,137,600.

Former Tamborine Mountain State High School student leaders (L-R), Ben West, Sophia Mackay and Jackson Church

Secondary schools rounding out the Gold Coast’s top 10 were: Benowa, Pacific Pines, Palm Beach-Currumbin, Foxwell, Helensvale, Merrimac and Robina State High Schools.

Ray White Burleigh Group CEO Tiger Malan said catchment zones were a “critical” factor in families’ purchasing decisions.

“Everything has to be looked at through the lens of supply and demand, and a good school zone always creates demand and therefore pushes up prices in that pocket,” Mr Malan said.

Ray White Burleigh Group CEO Tiger Malan.

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Hotspots including Broadbeach, Tallebudgera Valley and Burleigh Waters were all “highly regarded by the buyer pool” — although a lack of supply had priced some hopeful parents out of those local markets.

“The school catchment is definitely a major consideration, but that has to be weighted against the price and the product available.

“For example, if a family can only just get into the suburb but the quality of the house is not up to the standard they consider liveable, they will go and consider other catchments,” Mr Malan said.

An original Benowa home built in European style is priced just under $2m

Gold Coast dad Brendon Wolf says it was a no-brainer when it came to choosing a school for his five-year-old son.

The 36-year-old lives in the Broadbeach State School catchment and his son Lincoln started prep at the school this year.

“When you’re living in a prestige area and the local school has an excellent reputation, it makes it a bit easier to make a schooling decision for your child,” Mr Wolf said.

“We knew Broadbeach State School had an excellent reputation and a lot of people say it’s one of the best state primary schools in Queensland.”

This modern four-bedroom home at 62 Musgrave Ave, Southport is going to auction on June 1

In Springbrook, Raine and Horne agent Murray Duthie said the local primary school had long enjoyed an excellent reputation and was part of the community fabric.

While younger children could receive their education close to home, a bus service ferried older kids down the mountain to attend high school on the central Gold Coast.

“The lifestyle on offer in Springbrook is very much associated with its location within the World Heritage-listed national park, so you don’t necessarily get people looking at the school as the centrepiece to come up here, although it is a great little school,” Mr Duthie said.