School access remains a key driver of buyer decisions
Those planning to buy a home near Auckland’s Epsom Girls’ Grammar School may need to prepare for asking prices averaging around $2.45 million – almost double the cost of comparable properties outside the school’s zone.
New data from Realestate.co.nz shows that living within the catchment for some of New Zealand’s most sought-after state schools can carry a premium of up to 89.7%.
The analysis, covering more than 100,000 property listings between October 2023 and September 2025, compared average asking prices of homes inside and outside the zones of major public secondary schools in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Christchurch. Out-of-zone properties were defined as those within five kilometres of the schools but outside official boundaries.
In Auckland, the price gap was most pronounced for Epsom Girls’ Grammar School, where in-zone homes averaged $2,451,406 compared to $1,291,619 for out-of-zone listings. Auckland Grammar followed, with homes inside the zone commanding an additional $534,705 on average.
Christchurch also showed strong zoning effects. Properties in zone for both Christchurch Girls’ and Christchurch Boys’ High Schools averaged $1,181,760, compared with $647,886 and $694,408 respectively for those out of zone – premiums of 82.4% and 70.9%.
In Hamilton, Hillcrest High School reflected a 55.8% difference, with homes in zone averaging $1,176,556 compared to $755,102 for those nearby but outside the boundary. Minimal differences were recorded for Hamilton Girls’ and Boys’ High Schools.
In Wellington, the results were mixed. Onslow College showed the largest gap, with in-zone homes averaging $997,348, about 23% higher than out-of-zone properties priced at $812,560. Wellington College and Newlands College, however, saw slightly lower in-zone averages of $935,645 and $916,448 respectively, compared with $946,911 and $938,035 outside the zones.
Vanessa Williams, spokesperson for Realestate.co.nz, said zoning continues to influence buyer decisions, particularly in areas where school reputation is closely linked to long-term property value.
She added that the findings demonstrate how education access remains a major factor in purchasing behaviour. Williams said understanding school zones allows buyers to make more informed choices about both the property and the future opportunities it provides for their families.
