The schools premium

In Markham, school catchments move markets. The city’s public schools rank among Ontario’s best, and families across the region will pay — and stretch — to land inside the right boundary. Here, the phrase “good school district” is a line item, not a nicety.

Communities like Berczy and Cathedral are the archetypes: newer, planned family neighbourhoods built around top-ranked schools, where demand from education-focused buyers keeps a firm floor under prices. Angus Glen adds the estate-and-golf premium on top of the same school-driven pull.

It makes for a particular kind of market — resilient, competitive, and priced as much on report cards as on square footage. If you’re buying in Markham with kids in mind, the catchment map is worth studying as closely as the floor plan.