If you live within one of the 25 public school catchments in NSW where the only option is a same-sex high school, you might want to have your property revalued next year. In a move that has surely reactivated the tear ducts of many a Newington old boy, the NSW Government is delivering on its election promise to ensure every family in the state has the option of choosing a co-ed public high school within their catchment by converting 20 same-sex high schools to co-ed in 2025.
But first, for those new to the world of competitive sports (AKA the school enrolment process), what exactly is a school catchment area?
School catchments are the geographical location that a public school’s core intake of students must reside in. If your child’s residential address falls within the catchment, they’re automatically entitled to enrol in a school within the catchment zone. By law, every state school must reserve enough places for students who live within the enrolment zone.
In theory, children can attend schools outside of their catchments, but in reality, few have room for ‘out-of-area-enrolments’ and can only accept students from outside their catchment once all local enrolments have been fulfilled. When it comes to public school enrolments, like most services in NSW, demand usually exceeds supply, leaving out-of-area applications shredder-bound.
It makes sense, then, that for a lot of parents with kids approaching school age, buying a home within a good school catchment is such a high priority. Data shows that properties within a well-regarded catchment can sell for upwards of 2.5% more than those outside of one.
It’s expected that the new Sydney catchment zones resulting from the conversion of previously girls-only or boys-only public high schools into co-ed schools will increase interest in these areas significantly. Parents and families who prefer co-education for their children will push up both demand and prices in these catchment areas, many of which are already experiencing unprecedented growth.
In the Strathfield-Burwood-Ashfield region, where Ashfield Boys High School, Burwood Girls High School, Strathfield Girls High School, and both Canterbury Boys and Canterbury Girls will become co-ed next year, the median house price has already increased 23.5% over the past year.
Though some agents report seeing a ‘slight uptick’ in families interested in the areas with new co-ed intake, it’s still too early to tell how drastically it will affect prices. Currently, median house prices in all but three of the catchments near the new co-ed schools already exceed $1,500,000. Those three areas are Bankstown ($1,265,000 current median), Merrylands – Guildford ($1,107,000) and Auburn ($1,250,000).
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In the Kogarah – Rockdale region, where co-educational opportunities for families living in the intake area for James Cook Boys Technology High School and Moorefield Girls High School are set to change, the median house price has risen 8.5% over the year to $1,631,500. It’s a similar story in neighbouring Hurstville, where Beverly Hills Girls High School is set to convert to a co-educational setting next year.
As areas that previously only offered school options for one sex open up to buyers whose child is the other (and can now attend), market demand is set to intensify. Good news for existing owners, and another wallet-wallop for potential buyers.
