Revealed: how much it costs to live in the catchments of Sydney’s top 100 public schools

New analysis has revealed exactly how much you’d need to pay to get a home in the catchment of each of Sydney’s top 100 public schools. See the prices and rents near your intended school

Forget pricey private schools - simply getting kids a good public education has turned into a money pit for parents due to staggering housing costs in the catchment areas of the best schools.

Analysis of prices and rents near the city’s top 100 ranked public primary schools showed the homes were commanding incredible premiums of as much as $500,000 above similar properties just outside the catchments.

You can send your child to one of Sydney’s top private high schools for about $30,000 a year, meaning you could educate two children for less than $400,000.

Property sales data released in July showed house prices averaged more than $2 million in the vicinity of 70 of the top 100 government schools determined by rankings from researcher Better Education.

House values near 20 of the remaining 30 schools averaged between $1.7 million and $1.99 million.

The entrance to Hornsby North Public School, rated the top public primary in the rankings.

The cheapest top 100 school was Quakers Hill Public, in the northwest, where the houses averaged $1.05 million.

Unit prices were not as high but many of the areas near the best schools were low density communities with few apartments.

Tenants were being made to cough up too, with rents in nearly half the top school zones listed for at least double the Sydney average.

It comes as housing experts revealed home seekers were increasingly prioritising their children’s education above other property attributes.

“Some families choose the school first, then the house,” said Adrian Tsavalas, the director of real estate group Adrian William.

Mr Tsavalas sells homes within the catchments of many popular inner west schools, including Earlwood Public and Summer Hill Public.

He noted that property sales were extremely rare within these catchments, which put pressure on families to make snap purchasing decisions and spend big.

“It’s a slow market at the moment but it’s not like that near some schools. A really good school can keep driving up prices,” Mr Tsavalas said.

Ray White economist Nerida Conisbee said families who put a high value on education often figured the premium was worth it.

Families in regions where the local schools were lower rated, bar one high ranking school, were particularly prone to pay top dollar for a home in the well-regarded institution, Ms Conisbee said.

“Getting their kids into a good primary school takes a huge weight off the shoulders of parents,” she said.

Aladdin Hassen and wife Parisa Haeri, with kids Jude, 3, and Aida, 1, bought a home in the coveted catchment of Earlwood Public. Picture: Tim Hunter.

“If there are no good schools in an area it can really drag the housing market down.”

Ms Conisbee noted the housing premium some parents paid to go to go good public schools could be equivalent to the cost of private schooling for six years of primary for one child.

But the added housing costs started to make more sense for families with multiple children, she said.

“The thinking is that even if you pay more for the house, you will still save money on private fees,” she said.

“Often they’re actually (buying) with high school in mind. A top primary school can mean the child has a better chance of getting into a good selective high school. Again, this saves paying expensive private school fees.”

Manor Real Estate agent Paul Hanna sells properties in the catchment of Baulkham Hills school Matthew Pearce Public, another top performer, and said families struggled to get into the area.

“The stock is really low and a lot of parents with school age kids want to buy, so it’s hard to get in,” he said.

Beecroft Public School is one of the most expensive top schools to live near.

“We’ve had nearly identical homes where one side of the road is in the catchment and the other side is not. We had one recently where the home just out of the catchment sold for $100,000 less than across the street,” he said.

Local resident Stewart Natrass, who is selling a home on the Bella Vista side of the Matthew Pearce catchment, said being near the school was the most valuable attribute of both his and the surrounding properties.

“It makes a massive difference,” he said.

“It’s so hard to get in, some people will rent out small rooms in the area. They don’t live in them, it’s just so they have an address in the catchment.

“The school has had to send people out to check who actually lives in some of these places.”

Aladdin Hassen bought a home within the catchment of Earlwood Public in the inner west because he hopes to send his kids to the school but said opportunities to buy in the area were scarce.

“Every year there is less and less available,” he said.

This home on Kimberley Court in Bella Vista is one of the only homes up for sale in the Matthew Pearce catchment.

29 Twyford Ave, within the catchment of Earlwood Public recently sold for $2.5m Picture: Adrian William Real Estate

“We found a north-facing 500 sqm block. We had to really push to get it, but I thought: ‘When’s the next one like it going to come?’ ”

Mr Hassen, who works as a real estate buyer’s agent in the inner west, added that

“It does feel like the school is an X-factor here. It pushes up the whole market.”

Originally published as Revealed: how much it costs to live in the catchments of Sydney’s top 100 public schools