There are almost 25 000 public and private schools in SA, but having a home close to the “right” one remains one of the biggest factors influencing residential property purchases and relocations from one area to another, especially in Gauteng, where parents often really struggle to get their children placed at their schools of choice.
There are many reasons for this, but the primary one is the feeder area system that governs admissions to public schools and prioritises placements for learners who live within a certain radius of each school, says Stephen Whitcombe, MD of the FIRZT Property Group.
“The majority of parents cannot afford private schooling but obviously still want their children to get the best education possible and will often buy homes or move just to be in the feeder area of their preferred public school. In Gauteng this feeder area radius is officially 3,7km at present - but the reality is that most government schools are full at a radius of 1,8km, which means that learners need to live within that distance of their school of choice in order to secure a place.”
This obviously increases the demand for the homes closest to the most sought-after schools, he says, and ensures that they increasingly sell or rent at a considerable premium to others in the same area. “And this situation is being intensified, even around private schools, by the huge fuel price hikes that we have seen due to the conflict in the Middle East and the rising cost of living, because parents are trying everything to lower their transport costs, including the cost of driving children to and from their schools and extramural activities.
“A daily school run of 20 or 30km, for example, plus extramural activities, can add up to a significant monthly expense, not to mention the hours spent in traffic. Parents are thus weighing up not only which school is best, but how far it is from home, how long the commute will take and what it will cost.”
Consequently, says Whitcombe, it is vital for parents to ensure that they focus on those schools that most closely match their children’s specific interests and talents. “If you have to pay more to live as close as possible to a specific school, you need to be very sure that it’s the right school for your child – and not just academically.
“We understand the enormous financial and social impacts such decisions can have on families, and this is what has prompted us to partner with school marketing expert Ian Wright to launch the SchoolZ Guide, a new app that enables parents to quickly check whether schools offer sports, cultural and other extramural activities in addition to good academic results, and whether they have an active alumni network.
“FIRZT will also be adding useful information about the suburbs around each school, including property prices, rentals, amenities, safety and access to public transport, and we believe the SchoolZ Guide will become an essential tool in helping parents to identify the most appropriate schools and communities for their families. We want choosing a school and choosing where to live to become one decision.”
Wright says the inspiration for the app was the world-renowned Michelin Guide for restaurants, which assesses five or more factors before awarding a restaurant even one star – and only then ranks establishments as high quality, excellent or exceptional.
“In other words, the SchoolZ Guide is intended to give parents a much more holistic, comprehensive view of the schools they are considering than any of the rankings that are just based on matric results. Learners need nurturing educational environments that foster the development of sporting or cultural talents, for example, as well as academic or technical abilities. And in our experience, an active alumni network is also important because it means that past pupils want to continue their connection with the school and are prepared to assist with fundraising as well as providing networking and career opportunities for current learners.”
In addition, he notes, the SchoolZ Guide is not only for parents navigating the public school system. “SA’s private school sector is highly competitive, with many independent schools vying to attract the same families, and while they don’t have official feeder areas, geography matters to them just as much.
“Most of their pupils come from the suburbs within a manageable daily commute, and as fuel costs rise that radius is likely to shrink further. Private schools therefore need to make sure that the families living in the areas they draw from know exactly what sets them apart, including their academic results, facilities, sporting and cultural programmes and alumni community, and the SchoolZ Guide gives them a place to tell that story directly to the parents they most want to reach.”
In short, the SchoolZ Guide app is designed to help any school showcase whatever makes its unique, and to help parents find the school that genuinely fits their child.
There are already more than 1300 Gauteng high school listings on the app and to market the launch, all SA schools, public and private, are currently being invited to become Founding Schools by verifying their school profiles at no cost. Verification enables a school to take ownership of its profile and keep its information accurate and current, to showcase its achievements, facilities and school life, to reach more prospective families and to build parents’ confidence by sharing trusted information directly from the school.
*Schools can verify their profiles at schoolzguide.co.za, or contact the SchoolZ Guide team at info@schoolzguide.co.za or on 084 858 7177. After the launch period, the standard annual verification fee will be R1000 per school.
Author: FIRZT Property Group, 28 October 2026,
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