Research by estate agent Yopa has found that homes near England's top-performing state secondary schools cost, on average, £40,574 more than properties across the wider local authority, a premium of around 11%. This gap is significant because it rivals the cost of some private school fees, meaning families are effectively paying a similar amount to secure a place near a good state school as they might for cheaper independent education.

The average property in a postcode containing a top 50 state secondary costs £415,791, against £375,217 for the surrounding local authority area. Premiums vary widely by location: homes near Bishop Vesey's grammar school in Sutton Coldfield command £275,814 more than the Birmingham average, while those near Henrietta Barnett school in north London cost £354,288 more than the Barnet average, a 37% premium. Not all areas follow the trend, however, as homes near Reading's grammar schools are actually £84,373 cheaper than the wider Reading average. Separate findings show London buyers near top private schools face even steeper premiums, with homes near Queen's College, London, in postcode W1 averaging £1.92m, well above Westminster's £854,198 average.