How demand for co-ed schools is shaping the property market in NSW

You’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t indulged in the on-going furore that was caused by the announcement in 2022 that Sydney private boys’ school Cranbrook would become coed.  Since then, somewhat of a domino effect has ensued, with a string of affluent private schools joining the effort to switch their educational offerings to both female and male, including the prestigious boys’ school Newington College in Sydney’s inner west, and Barker College in Sydney’s north. Others, such as Bethlehem College and De La Salle Ashfield, also in the inner west have announced they will merge to create co-ed learning, starting next year.

In Melbourne, Catholic girls’ school St Aloysius College transitioned to co-educational schooling last year, while Christian Brothers College St Kilda merged with Catholic girls’ school Presentation College Windsor to create St Mary’s College in 2022.

While the question of whether co-educational schooling will provide a better outcome for students continues to be debated, in New South Wales, it’s also influencing the property market in local districts thanks to a recent local Government promise.

In 2023, it was announced that the NSW Government will rezone the catchments of 20 state schools schools in the inner west of Sydney from 2025, a commitment to ensure every student in NSW has a place in a co-educational public high school by 2027. It’s a move that will give families unprecedented access to co-educational schooling, but in the process, will widen the net for those looking to buy a home that’s near a reputable school. No longer will prospective buyers, often young families, be constrained to a specific area in their search which ticks all the boxes, such as location, affordability and distance to quality schooling.  

“We committed to this complex reform after hearing time and again from parents that they want to have their children to have access to co-educational environments throughout their schooling,” says Prue Car, Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning, via the NSW Government website.

“This is about giving all NSW students guaranteed access to a co-educational public high school.”

Michelle May, director of Michelle May Buyers Agents, says that the Government’s solution to growing demand for co-ed education will help families search for homes outside of a narrow geographic area, thereby increasing their chance of success.

“Searching for the right home to settle into is a competitive and high-stakes process for families, and up until quite recently, there were areas with only single-sex schools available,” says May. “The move to grant families access to co-ed education is obviously in line with the times. On top of factors like lifestyle and accessibility, schools are a major part of finding a home that’s the right fit, and families who previously avoided looking for homes in particular areas because there was no school for their son or daughter will no longer be bound by such considerations.”

If you look at the statistics, Australia has 304—soon to be 302—single-sex schools that educate over 284,000 students, with numbers dwindling. Of these students, around 54% attend girls’ schools, 86% are in secondary education, and 85% are in non-government schools, according to a recent study. Over three-quarters of single-sex public schools are in NSW. Yet, despite a growing demand for co-education, many parents have been limited in choice because they live in 1 of the state’s 25 single-sex public school catchments.

Now, under the proposed changes by the NSW Government, families in Sydney’s inner west and south west currently zoned for a single-sex high school will be able to send their children to a nearby co-educational high school.

In Sydney, May is already witnessing how the rezoning plans will affect future buyers looking in alternative areas.

“They are checking out up-and-coming suburbs and are more open minded about areas they have previously overlooked due to school zones. There is high confidence that the inner west rezoning will soon be extended to the rest of Sydney and NSW,” adds May.

Looking at the highly-competitive property market in Sydney, the Government’s plan for rezoning will also make the purchasing process a lot less stressful, evening out the buyer pool in what has otherwise been high concentration areas. This, in turn, could have a “knock-on effect” on property sales results across the state.

“If a family is looking to purchase a home that ticks all the right boxes and now there are suddenly more options to choose from, it’s definitely a very wonderful thing,” adds May. “This means parents are less worried about competing for expensive and less spacious inner city properties and are more able to buy into the classic family home they always dreamed about.”