The most affordable locations within top primary and high school zones have been revealed
Gold Coast parents can secure a home inside five of the city’s top 10 public school catchments for about $700,000 — though they will have to settle for an apartment to get their foot in the door.
New research from PRD shows suburbs in 48 per cent of the best primary school catchments, and 43 per cent for secondary schools, had affordable units priced under the broader city apartment median of $950,000.
The odds were slimmer still for families holding out for a freestanding house priced below the Gold Coast’s $1.38 million median. Just 18.5 per cent of suburbs were considered affordable in top primary school zones, rising to 29 per cent for secondary schools.
A unit on Highfield Dr, Merrimac sold for $770,000
It comes as zone-banking parents push up prices around educational hotspots, snapping up properties inside elite state school catchments years before their children enrol and turning the public education system into a cutthroat real estate play.
The catchments analysed by PRD were identified as the city’s “top schools” using independent rankings from the Better Education index. The platform grades institutions on academic performance metrics including NAPLAN results and ATAR scores.
For parents willing to compromise on property type, PRD found the catchments with the best spread of affordable suburbs for apartment buyers included primary schools Bellevue Park, Benowa, Clover Hill, and Varsity College, alongside secondary schools Helensvale, Pacific Pines, Nerang, and Merrimac.
Varsity College was included among catchments with more affordable townhouses and apartments
The city’s cheapest entry point to a top-tier secondary education was an apartment in Oxenford or Hope Island, where a median price of $703,000 secures a spot at Helensvale State High School or Pacific Pines High School.
Other affordable secondary catchments for zone-banking unit buyers were Merrimac State High School, with apartments in Merrimac at $716,500, and Nerang State High School, with local units at $735,000.
For primary-aged children, parents can snag a unit in Southport for $725,000 for enrolment at Bellevue Park State School.
Families can also target units in Ashmore ($747,500) for Benowa State School, or Reedy Creek ($800,000) for Clover Hill State School.
PRD chief economist Dr Diaswati Mardiasmo. Supplied
PRD chief economist Dr Diaswati Mardiasmo said the Gold Coast unit market was tighter than Brisbane, where affordable apartments could still be found across 60 per cent of top school zones.
“There is definitely more of a chance to afford a suburb within the top 10 public schools if you are willing to live in a unit,” Dr Mardiasmo said.
For families holding out for a detached home, secondary schools had a slightly better spread of options due to their wider catchment boundaries.
According to PRD, the catchments with the most affordable suburbs for house buyers mirrored the unit market, led by primary schools Bellevue Park, Varsity College, Clover Hill, and Benowa, alongside secondary schools Helensvale, Pacific Pines, Benowa, Varsity College, Nerang, and Merrimac.
Helensvale High State School. Picture: Jerad Williams
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The cheapest of the lot was Lower Beechmont, where $935,000 secured an address inside the Nerang State High School catchment. It was one of the few remaining entry points anywhere on the Coast under the $1m mark.
For primary schools, Southport had the lowest entry point for houses, at $1.2m for Bellevue Park State School.
But in some elite beachside and acreage enclaves, average earners were locked out completely, regardless of property type.
The squeeze was tightest around Broadbeach State School, Currumbin Valley State School, and Miami State High School, where everyday buyers were priced out of both the house and unit markets.
“This trend is consistent with other capital cities,” Dr Mardiasmo said.
“I have to say though, after looking at the data for Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, this [the Gold Coast] would be the best one for secondary school house buyers.”
This house on 73 Ward St, Southport sold for $1.18m
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