Search our table: Best way into a good school catchment

The battle to buy into one of Queensland’s top school catchments just got easier, with new research revealing the cheapest suburbs. SEARCH THE INTERACTIVE.

The battle to buy into one of Queensland’s top school catchments just got easier, with new research revealing the cheapest suburbs with the most sought-after education providers.

Exclusive data from PRD reveals families will need to fork out more than $600,000 to buy a unit and $1m to $2m for a house in one of the top 10 school catchments, based on 2024 NAPLAN results.

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The cheapest suburb to buy a house in one of the highest ranked catchments is Stafford on Brisbane’s northside, with $1.1m needed to secure a typical three-bedroom house in the Kedron State High School catchment.

Buyers need an average $1.1m to buy a house in Stafford, which is in the Kedron State High School catchment area.

Meanwhile Mansfield, in the Mansfield State High School catchment, was the most affordable suburb for units, with a typical two-bedroom unit having a median price of $493,000.

For primary schools, PRD data showed Coopers Plains had the cheapest houses, with a median price of $965,000.

Robertson comes out on top for the cheapest units, with a median of $592,000. Both of these suburbs are located in the Robertson State School catchment.

You can still buy a unit for under $500,000 in the Mansfield State High School catchment. Image: Richard Waugh.

Sunnybank Hills State School is ranked as Queensland’s top public primary school catchment, and is also reasonably affordable to buy into, with Sunnybank Hills — the only suburb within the catchment — having a median house price of $1.22m and a median unit price of $690,000.

The top secondary school catchment in the state is the Queensland Academy for Science Mathematics and Technology, where the cheapest suburb for a house is Graceville ($1.4m median) and the most affordable suburb to buy a unit is Chelmer ($550,000 median).

PRD’s research involved an analysis of properties for sale in each school catchment during 2024 to determine a median price, and used 2024 NAPLAN results to rank the catchments.

This research found the middle point for median house prices in a top 10 primary school catchment was $1.65m, and $1.555m for secondary schools.

With a 20 per cent deposit and at current interest rates, a home of $1.65m would require a monthly repayment of $8,760. By comparison, median monthly mortgage repayments were $2,019 in 2021.

Sunnybank Hills is in the Sunnybank Hills State School catchment and has a median house price of $1.22m.

PRD chief economist Asti Mardiasmo said with the exception of Coopers Plains, all suburbs but one in Brisbane’s top 10 primary and secondary school catchments had a median house price above $1m.

“So, wanting to have your children in the top 10 schools is definitely going to come at a premium, especially if you are looking for a house,” Dr Mardiasmo said. “There is more chance (of affordably buying into a good school catchment) with units”.

Nearly 40 per cent — 11 out of 29 — of primary school suburbs were found to be under or on par with Brisbane’s median unit price of $690,000. 51 per cent — 46 out of 90 — secondary school suburbs also met this threshold.

PRD chief economist Dr Diaswati Mardiasmo.

But Dr Mardiasmo said those relatively affordable options may not last long, given the lack of housing supply and the resilience of home prices.

“I guess, at the end of the day, it’s a choice that one must make: between having your children in a Top 10 school versus affordability,” she said.

“Another consideration is whether to wait until secondary school, as you have a wider range of suburbs for school catchment — so more chances to score a property.”

With a median house price of more than $2m, Fahad Ahmed knew his options were limited in St Lucia.

Fahad Ahmed and wife Jannatul Ferdous and child Alisa Janan Ahmed, 2. Photo Steve Pohlner

But the Brisbane father was determined to buy a home in the catchment area where he intended to send his daughter to school, so he rented in the suburb until he saved enough to afford to buy a unit.

“My whole Brisbane life is in St Lucia,” Mr Ahmed said. “And, as you know, St Lucia is very expensive. I could pay for a houseif I go 25km [out], but instead of that, with my baby’s future school, I [thought] that it’s better to live in St Lucia.”

Originally published as Search our table: Best way into a good school catchment