Seeking advice for finding public primary schools in Melbourne?

Hi Danothan, the area in which you choose to live will have a big impact on where your kids will go to school as local Australian school boards are usually very strict about school zoning when it comes to applying for a spot to the school of your choice - so ensuring you're in the public school zone will be very important. A useful resouce which maps out the schools zones can be found here.

You may also find the Australian Schools Directory to be a useful resource.

Some of the most popular family-friendly suburbs in Melbourne include Hawthorne, Sandringham and Coburg, but where you live will also depend on the location of your work and access to transport networks - for a more comprehensive overview of Melbourne neighbourhoods, have a look at Areas and Suburbs in Melbourne.

All the best with your school search and move. Australia is a great place to raise a family!

Hi Danothan, There are many child friendly area's and good schools in Melbourne. We moved to Melbourne a year and a half ago with a 7 and 9 year old, so I know what you are going through. As a general rule the closer you are the the CBD (center), the higher the property and rental prices. This is how we went about it: First we looked at locations near a train station. We then looked on the real estate websites and started in the area's that we could afford. Then we looked on www.myschool.edu.au for schools that had a better than average ranking. The combination of the three lead us to the Monash area and we have not regretted this decision. Good luck, Willemijn

Hi Danny, Generally, all suburbs are considered safe in Melbourne and most of the public schools are quite good. There are some pockets in the western suburbs, far north and far south-east that are allegedly not as safe as the rest. Europe2Australia gave you a good link to "evaluate" the schools. BetterEducation.com is also another good resource. Click on "School Ranking" on the lefthand bar. Cheers, Winneth finderskeeperspl.com - Melbourne Rental Home Finder