The Perth school zones where house prices have soared: Domain Schools Zones Report
Demand for homes in the school catchment zone of Eastern Hills High School in the Perth Hills suburb of Mt Helena has seen house prices skyrocket by more than 40 per cent over the past year, according to new research.
The latest Domain School Zone Report, released on Thursday, revealed the Mt Helena school catchment was not only the top fastest-growing school catchment for house prices in the state but ranked second nationally, just behind the Barrenjoey High School catchment in Avalon Beach in New South Wales, where the median house price grew by a whopping 45 per cent to $2,802,500.
By comparison, the median sale price of houses in the Eastern Hills catchment grew 41.8 per cent to $602,500.
Seven of WA’s school catchments with the top 10 highest house price growth – Scarborough Primary, Dalkeith Primary, Campbell Primary, Mosman Park Primary, Dudley Park Primary and Woodlupine Primary – were primary schools.
Domain chief of research and economics Nicola Powell said the report highlighted that price growth varied enormously across Perth, with neighbouring local intake areas providing very different outcomes for home owners.
Some school intake areas in the same postcode or suburb varied in the pace or direction of price movement, she said.
The current upswing has driven positive house price growth in the majority of school local intake areas, across 76 per cent of primary schools and 87 per cent of secondary schools analysed, the report found.
| School Name | School suburb | 2021 median price | 2020 median price | Annual change |
| Eastern Hills Senior High School | Mount Helena | $602,500 | $425,000 | 41.8% |
| Scarborough Primary School | Scarborough | $865,000 | $646,000 | 33.9% |
| Dalkeith Primary School | Dalkeith | $2,562,500 | $1,930,000 | 32.8% |
| Lakeland Senior High School | South Lake | $462,500 | $350,000 | 32.1% |
| Campbell Primary School | Canning Vale | $558,000 | $423,250 | 31.8% |
| Swan View Senior High School | Swan View | $450,000 | $342,500 | 31.4% |
| Como Primary School | Como | $812,500 | $619,500 | 31.2% |
| Mosman Park Primary School | Mosman Park | $1,377,750 | $1,060,000 | 30.0% |
| Dudley Park Primary School | Mandurah | $350,000 | $270,000 | 29.6% |
| Woodlupine Primary School | Forrestfield | $450,000 | $350,000 | 28.6% |
“There are a number of factors or points that prospective buyers look at when they are deciding on a location for a home,” she said.
“There are many factors, as well, that drive price growth. But a school catchment zone is one of those that a family does consider when they are choosing where they are going to live, as education is obviously important to us all – for people who have children or are planning to have children.
“So, I think it’s one of those things that are on the consideration list, and I think for some buyers, it plays more of an importance. What is interesting is that over the past year, we have seen a change [in] where we can live, and that’s where we are seeing the ‘lifestyle’ creep into the price growth.”
Jo Sheil, Brookwood Realty Mt Helena branch manager, said buyers were being drawn to the area for its half-acre (0.2 hectare) or acre (0.4-hectare) blocks seeking a lifestyle change amid the pandemic.
“The majority of buyers I have are looking for areas where they can grow food and have that space for kids. They don’t want to be contained in a unit or apartment,” she said.
“The listings are so short in the area that anything that pops up seems to be selling fairly quickly.”
House prices in Scarborough Primary School and Tuart Hill Primary School local intake area grew around eight times faster than the suburb they were located in (Scarborough and Tuart Hill, respectively), Dr Powell said.
Nathan Burbridge, Realmark Coastal director, said demand for homes in Scarborough had been “through the roof”, and school catchments were a driver.
“It’s very hard to get into Scarborough at the market, so buyers are keen to find out what’s coming to market, and all the homes I’ve sold in the suburb in the past 12 months have had multiple offers on the table,” he said.
Travis Coleman, head of WA for Acton Real Estate, said school catchment zones were a top priority for many buyers, with the number of market transactions for homes in popular Perth school zones quite high with a long waiting list of buyers.
“It is almost like a checklist, and we’ve seen people not proceed with buying a property because it wasn’t in the right catchment or their preferred catchment area,” he said.
Mr Coleman said potential buyers seeking a home within a school catchment should do their research, speak to a local agent, think about schools well ahead of time, and plan accordingly.
