Here’s where to buy if you want affordable housing near top public and cheap private schools

You don’t have to pay a bomb to live in a neighbourhood with top-performing public and low-fee private schools, as our exclusive list reveals.

Cranbourne East Secondary College dux Jasleen Kaur is lucky her family lives in a suburb with great schools. Picture: Mark Stewart

Affordable suburbs contain some of Melbourne’s best state and private schools, new education and real estate data shows.

Cheaper houses don’t mean compromising on school standards in a raft of outer suburban areas such as Caroline Springs, Werribee, St Albans, Cranbourne and Truganina.

Parents don’t have to spend an extra six-figures buying into wealthy school zone areas when there are plenty of great schools around, experts say.

Melton has one of Melbourne’s lowest median house prices of $500,000 and yet contains schools such as One School Global, which achieved a median VCE study score of 31.

A Christian provider, One School Global has low fees and draws students from Melton, Sunbury and Werribee.

Another standout value suburb is Werribee, where average houses cost as low as $620,000. The area has schools such as the selective secondary college Suzanne Cory which has a median VCE score of 34 as well as excellent private schools including Heathdale Christian College (VCE median 30) and Mackillop Catholic College (31).

Cranbourne East Secondary College students celebrate their VCE high performance. Picture: David Caird

Truganina parents are also spoiled for choice for top private schools, including the more expensive Westbourne Grammar and the cheaper Islamic College.

PropTrack economist Angus Moore said a variety of research had shown schools affect home prices.

“Good schools and those that are very desirable do have a significant impact on local property prices,” Mr Moore said.

While research around private schools is less comprehensive, he added many buyers paid a premium for proximity to key amenities — so it was probable being close to even schools that weren’t zoned would impact property prices.

With borrowing capacity being crunched by interest rate rises, many families would also be looking for more affordable suburbs that offered the best bang for buck for education, Mr Moore said.

And Real Estate Buyers Agent Association of Australia president Cate Bakos said it was common for parents to factor in their children’s education when looking for a home, particularly when considering school zones.

Ms Bakos said maturing former housing estate suburbs that boomed 15 or 20 years ago, including Cranbourne East, could be an affordable way to access an area primed for strong results.

She said such locations were home to large numbers of high-school aged kids “so you will get some smart cookies”.

Ms Bakos also advised parents to consider a home’s internet connectivity, dual living areas and convenient access to transport.

New figures show Cranbourne is an excellent choice for parents, with houses on offer in the mid $600,000s but academically excellent schools including Cranbourne East Secondary College which has a VCE median of 33 and Lighthouse Christian College on 30. Hillcrest Christian College, which has a VCE median of 30, is also nearby.

Meaghan Cook, principal of Cranbourne East Secondary College said she was proud of her school’s results.

She praised the diverse range of students and families at the school, which come from more than 68 cultures.

“Many are the first in their families to finish VCE and go to university. For us the key is having high expectations matched with great support and a strong focus on wellbeing,” she said.

Cranbourne East Secondary College dux Jasleen with mum Ranjit Kaur, dad Karampreet Singh, grandma Kulwinder Kaur and brother Samarjot Singh Sekhon. Picture: Mark Stewart

Ms Cook said many of the schools in the area, which includes Devon Meadows, Lyndhurst and Clyde North, are “doing the same and putting in place the right steps”.

St Albans also has affordable houses and a state high school, St Albans Secondary College, which has a VCE median of 31.

Epping is another area with a strong local high school – Epping Secondary College – and access to affordable private schools such as Al Siraat College (median VCE score of 32) and St Monica’s Catholic College which has fees of less than $9000 a year.

Caroline Springs also has good state schools but private schools at various price points, including Southern Cross Grammar ($14,000 a year), and Caroline Chisholm College, a Catholic girls’ school with fees of around $5800 a year.

Outer suburban campuses of top-performing schools enable access to some of the best colleges in the state offset by cheaper local real estate.

The median house price in Keysborough, where the main campus of the academically outstanding Haileybury College is located, is under one million.

Similarly, Caulfield Grammar’s Wheelers Hill campus is surrounded by suburbs such as Rowville and Scoresby which have average house prices of $1,090,000 and $984,000 respectively.