Certain schools have featured a lot in the media in recent weeks. As a buyer’s agent located in Leichhardt, in the Inner West suburbs of Sydney, NSW, we understand the importance of considering the location of suitable schools for the education of your children when purchasing a property. Many of our clients who are also parents navigating the spectrum of different schools to choose from when buying their next property often ask us, “Where are the best schools?”
The growing trend of parents looking for properties near good schools when buying real estate was highlighted by realestate.com.au in the article “Should you Buy a Property Near a School?” (https://www.realestate.com.au/advice/should-you-buy-property-near-a-school/). According to REA Group Chief Product Officer, Henry Ruiz, “We know that school information is important to people looking to buy property on our site. In fact, 31% of home hunters have said that it matters when making a decision on a property.”
Reasons for Considering School Proximity When Buying Real Estate
There are three main reasons why Sydney property buyers consider proximity to good schools to be important:
- Minimising Travel Time and Distance: No parent wants their child to be travelling long distances to and from school every day. The main concerns are that travelling too far can cause unnecessary tiredness and separation from local friends. The availability of good public transport is also a factor in determining travel time to school and can be a consideration used to determine the best place for buying real estate.
- Catchment Zones: Where catchment zones apply, it is essential to live within the right zone to ensure enrolment at the right school. This is why statements about the accessibility of certain schools are a common feature of real estate advertising in some areas in Sydney.
- Property Value and Rental Yield: As real estate agents will frequently tell you, properties close to good schools usually sell for a premium and attract higher rents compared to neighbouring areas.
Tools for Selecting the Right Schools
For parents to select the right schools for their children, there may be a multitude of different academic, ex-curricular, cultural, religious, and other criteria to consider. The “My School Website” (www.myschool.edu.au) was established by the Federal Government to provide a variety of different information and statistics on close to 10,000 Government and Non-government schools in Australia. One of the main purposes of the website is to help parents to select the right schools for their children.
The “About” page tells us that the site “Is a resource for parents educators and the community to receive important information about each of Australia’s schools in a readily accessible format. My School contains data on such things as a school’s student profile, NAPLAN performance, funding levels and sources and other financial information. You can also see enrolment numbers and attendance rates.”
Users of the site can search for schools by name or alternatively all the schools in a particular suburb or postcode. The search results provide a variety of different data on each selected school. Accordingly, the website can be used as a helpful tool in the selection of suitable schools and corresponding suburbs by parents considering buying real estate. However, the website does not provide geographic information on the location of schools outside the selected suburb. It also does not provide a means to compare all the schools within wider geographic areas such as all the best schools in the Lower North Shore versus all the best schools in the Eastern Suburbs or the Inner West, for example.
Another helpful resource for parents to use in buying real estate based on the location of good schools may be the school rankings of the annual HSC results.
Based on the 2023 HSC results and school rankings, here is an analysis of the top performing regions in Sydney for high schools:
The Lower North Shore had the highest concentration of top schools in 2023, with 13 schools in the top 100, including North Sydney Boys High which ranked #1 overall. Notable Lower North Shore schools in the top 100 included North Sydney Girls High (#5), Willoughby Girls High (#18), Cammeraygal High (#27), and Mosman High (#53).
The Eastern Suburbs had the second highest number of top 100 schools with 12, led by Sydney Grammar School (#7), SCEGGS Darlinghurst (#9), Reddam House (#5), and Moriah College (#25).
The Upper North Shore was third with 11 schools in the top 100, including St Aloysius (#6), Hornsby Girls’ High (#15), Barker College (#33), Abbotsleigh (#10), and Normanhurst Boys High (#36).
The Inner West had 8 schools in the top 100, with notable performers including Fort Street High (#13), MLC School (#46), and Trinity Grammar (#48).
Finally, the Western Suburbs had 6 schools in the HSC top 100 for 2023, led by Baulkham Hills High (#20), Girraween High (#39), and Rouse Hill High (#55).
In summary, the Lower North Shore, Eastern Suburbs and Upper North Shore are the areas with the highest density of top performing high schools based on the 2023 HSC school rankings. The Inner West and Western Suburbs also continue to have solid representation in the top 100.
Conclusion
For further information on how to select the right suburb and the right property for you, call Buyers Domain buyer’s agents today on 9568 6330. Our experienced team is here to help you navigate the complex process of buying real estate in Sydney and to consider your unique needs and preferences, including proximity to good schools.
