Open the app

Moving house for schools

Whether you would move, use out-of-area options, or pay for private school to get a school you prefer.

Should we move house for a better school?

In short: Parents choose between 4 main approaches: Stay and supplement; Use out-of-catchment options; Move before school starts; Pay for private instead. Evidence: evidence leans one way. Research or guidance points in a direction, but it's thin, small or correlational. Best settled: toddler.

Evidence
Evidence leans one way
Best settled
Toddler
Part of
Learning & the wider world

Moving house for schools: what are the options?

Parents usually land on one of these 4 approaches.

  1. 1. Stay and supplement

    You stay where you are and add learning at home.

  2. 2. Use out-of-catchment options

    You stay and apply to schools outside your assigned area.

  3. 3. Move before school starts

    You move to a better school district before school starts.

  4. 4. Pay for private instead

    You stay and pay for private school.

Moving house for schools: what does the evidence say?

Evidence leans one way. Research or guidance points in a direction, but it's thin, small or correlational.

Moves to higher-opportunity areas pay off more the younger the child

Sources

What else is worth knowing?

Where you live often decides which school your child attends. Some families move for a school; others stay and add to what the local school offers. It is a large financial decision as well as an educational one.

Questions to ask each other

  • Would we move for a better school, and how far?
  • What would we give up?
  • What other options would we consider first?

More in School and academics

First published 2026-10-03. Last updated 2026-10-05. General information, not medical advice.