A great location and enviable amenities top any home hunter’s must-have list – but those with kids in tow are under even greater pressure to find an ideal neighbourhood to suit their family’s needs. A main consideration for a significant portion of Canadians planning to purchase a home is whether a neighbourhood has great schools or is located in a coveted school district.
With Zoocasa’s school search tool, you’ll be able to simplify the hunt for the best options across 3,825 elementary schools, 912 secondary schools and 89 school districts in Ontario.
Find Homes for Sale in the Best School Districts
The first comprehensive feature of its kind, Zoocasa’s school search function lets buyers browse for listings by school boundary, including elementary and secondary schools under both public and Catholic school boards. The search results include current and five-year historical EQAO and Fraser Institute ratings, as well as average ratings within every boundary.
“The ability to seamlessly combine the search for academia and real estate is an important one for families on the move. In the past, the process of researching schools and striving to buy in a specific location has only added a layer of stress on what is already a challenging undertaking for buyers.”
Zoocasa CEO, Lauren Haw
“Finding a home in a great school district is a major factor in the majority of home searches, but it’s currently cumbersome for the average buyer to try and connect the dots between the school’s ranking, its boundary, and available listings in that particular area to make the best purchase choice. We’ve put that information in one easy-to-use place, integrated directly into our listings map.”
She adds that it’s not always clear to buyers what schools service what neighbourhoods, leading to potential frustrations for parents trying to place their children in specific institutions.
“Homes across the street from each other may be in different catchment areas. Understanding where your home is within a certain boundary can help with long-term transition planning and reduce unnecessary moves. Not to mention wealth accumulation – school rankings are highly correlated to real estate prices.”
How to Use Zoocasa’s School Search Function
1. Go to: www.zoocasa.com/search
2. In the Search bar, type in the city that you’re interested in
3. Click on the black graduation cap icon to set filters including:
a. Current and five-year historical (where available) EQAO and Fraser ranking data for each individual school, and the average ranking for school districts.
4. Click on the blue graduation cap icon on the map to:
a. Reveal school boundaries and the schools and property listings within them.
b. Find school information pages including contact information, ranking and ratings, the number of students and grade range, and an Expand function to uncover the available listings within that district.
To search for listings by school boundary visit www.zoocasa.com/search.
