Victorian parents plan to sell up to get kids into top schools

Competition for places at Victoria’s top schools is intensifying as parents plan to move houses to get into sought-after state catchment areas and private colleges close waiting lists.

Competition for places at Victoria’s top schools has intensified.

Competition for places at Victoria’s top schools is intensifying as parents plan to move houses to get into sought-after state catchment areas and private colleges close waiting lists.

A surge in interest for affordable independent schools has meant some year seven applications for 2026 are being knocked back.

The race to secure a place in the right school is particularly intense in the Eastern suburbs.

One parent lamented the lack of choice on social media, saying she felt frustrated and helpless.

“I feel sick to my stomach. We have received a second declined letter for a Catholic school in my area for 2025 year 7 as they are at capacity,” she wrote.

“There is another high school which is public that has a fantastic reputation but we are out of the zone for that. I don’t know what to do,” she added.

Other parents said they were disappointed that their children’s application had been knocked back from Jean Paul College in Frankston.

“Anyone else get knocked back from JPC?,” one parent said.

“My son’s in year four and I’ve just applied and feel like it’s becoming a very popular choice as we have no options on public,” another said.

Another mother, who lives just outside of the Vermont Secondary College school zone, said her family was thinking of selling their home for admission into the school.

“Big, big step for us. Houses in the zone of other nearby good schools are unaffordable like Glen Waverley Secondary College etc,” she said.

“Also too confused if buying the house in the zone will guarantee the admission. We are looking at starting year seven in 2026 … so stressed.”

Students heading into Year 7 in 2026 have had their applications to some prestigious high schools knocked back.

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools executive director Dr Edward Simons said: “We understand that choosing a secondary school can be a stressful decision for parents, with many factors playing a part.”

“More and more parents across Melbourne are choosing a Catholic education, particularly in Melbourne’s northern and western corridors, where MACS has opened twelve new schools since 2018,” Dr Simons said.

“That’s why MACS is investing $400m this year alone to grow our Catholic school network.

With an additional seven new schools planned to open over the next three years, one of the key challenges is funding and delivering school infrastructure quickly enough to meet increasing demand.”

Dr Simons added: “MACS secondary schools draw students from local catchment zones. Ensuring a connection to local parish communities while fostering a sense of belonging is a central tenant of our Catholic education system.”

The Herald Sun last year revealed school officials were taking a “hard-line approach” and cracking down on parents by requesting proof-of-ownership letters from real estate agents and evidence of 12-month lease agreements.

Parents said the schools monitoring out-of-area enrolments include in-demand secondary colleges McKinnon, Box Hill, Vermont, Glen Waverley and Frankston High School.

Some of the loopholes parents were using to get around the strict rules included asking friends who live in their school zones to transfer utility bills into their names.

A Department of Education spokesman said: “Every child has the right to enrol at their designated neighbourhood government school regardless of capacity or at another school of their choice, provided that school has sufficient space to accommodate them.”

-“ Students will always have guaranteed access to their designated neighbourhood school. Parents and carers with children living outside a school’s zone still have the choice to request enrolment at their preferred government school,” he said.