“The types of houses in a suburb have a much bigger impact on the median price of that area than the schools do,” he said.
For example, inner-city school zones tend to draw students from apartments – which cost less and bring house price averages down.
On the other hand, long-established suburbs, with bigger homes and larger land sections typically have higher house prices regardless of the school, Shum said.
With that said, perhaps the most famous school zones in the Wellington region are those for Wellington College and Wellington Girls’ College High Schools – opened in 1867 and 1883 respectively.
Like other well-known state schools across the country, they have produced politicians, All Blacks and OIympians - such as Wellington Girls’ former student Jackie Kiddle, who finished fourth in the lightweight women’s double sculls rowing final in Paris, France.
The data shows families interested in buying homes within the Wellington College catchment zone would find a median sale price in July 2024 of $861,000 or would typically pay about $700 per week to rent in the area.
The median house price in the Wellington Girls’ catchment is significantly higher at $950,000, while the typical rent is $740 per week.
Amesbury and Roseneath primary schools in the city’s north and east respectively have the most expensive median house prices in Wellington at $1.3 million.
Amesbury School zone also has the highest typical weekly rent at $930.
Aotea College, north of Wellington in Porirua, has the highest median-priced homes of any secondary Wellington region school zone, at $950,000.
Not every school is included in the interactive tables below. We have included only schools with zones recognised by the Ministry of Education, and where the combined catchment area has had a minimum of 20 house sales within the year.
