Moving to East Maitland (Metford area) from Marsden Park (Shanes Park area)
Schools, childcare, demographics and house prices for East Maitland - Metford and Marsden Park - Shanes Park, side by side - all from public government data.
East Maitland (Metford area) has 18,334 people (ABS, June 2025), +0.3% in a year, a median house price of $871,000, 9 schools and 20 childcare services. Full East Maitland (Metford area) suburb profile.
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Sources: ABS ERP June 2025 · ABS Census 2021 · ABS SEIFA 2021 · ACARA School Profile 2025 · ACECQA NQS register · Valuer-General Victoria & DFFH (VIC) · DCJ Housing sales Mar 2026 and rent Jun 2026 (NSW) · RTA Queensland rents (QLD) · NSW BOCSAR (NSW) · CSA Victoria (VIC). How we source this data →
Which school is zoned?
The free government school your child can attend in each area - side by side, never a blended average.
Northbourne Public School
The government school your child can attend for free by living in Marsden Park - Shanes Park.
This is the zoned government school for the centre of Marsden Park - Shanes Park (NSW catchment data) - addresses elsewhere in the suburb may be zoned to a different school.
See the catchment on the mapFee-paying schools can’t be enrolled in by zone - they’re shown for context, not as the area’s school quality.
We show school intake context and catchments, not exam results. We don’t publish a school ranking.
Metford Public School
The government school your child can attend for free by living in East Maitland - Metford.
This is the zoned government school for the centre of East Maitland - Metford (NSW catchment data) - addresses elsewhere in the suburb may be zoned to a different school.
See the catchment on the mapFee-paying schools can’t be enrolled in by zone - they’re shown for context, not as the area’s school quality.
We show school intake context and catchments, not exam results. We don’t publish a school ranking.
Honest tradeoff
East Maitland - Metford's government schools have an average ICSEA of 957, compared to 1,089 in Marsden Park - Shanes Park. ICSEA reflects the socioeconomic intake of students, not teaching quality - it is not a ranking of school performance.
Catholic/independent schools are separate from the free government catchment - average ICSEA East Maitland - Metford 1,038 (5 schools), Marsden Park - Shanes Park 1,080 (3 schools).
There are 9 schools in East Maitland - Metford, compared to 6 in Marsden Park - Shanes Park.
Childcare services matched by suburb name: 20 in East Maitland - Metford vs 14 in Marsden Park - Shanes Park.
The proportion of children from non-English-speaking backgrounds is lower in East Maitland - Metford at 7.1% (vs 61.3% in Marsden Park - Shanes Park).
East Maitland - Metford has a SEIFA advantage (IRSAD) of Decile 4, below Marsden Park - Shanes Park's Decile 10. Decile 10 is the most advantaged nationally.
Median house prices are 32% lower in East Maitland - Metford ($871,000 vs $1.28M).
Similar suburbs near East Maitland - Metford
Related moves
What is the population of East Maitland (Metford area)?
18,334 people lived in East Maitland (Metford area) at June 2025 (ABS Estimated Resident Population), a change of +0.3% over the year. Marsden Park (Shanes Park area) had 30,461.
Are houses cheaper in East Maitland (Metford area) than in Marsden Park (Shanes Park area)?
Yes. The median house price is $871,000 in East Maitland (Metford area) and $1.28M in Marsden Park (Shanes Park area), 32% lower in East Maitland (Metford area).
How many schools are in East Maitland (Metford area)?
ACARA lists 9 schools in East Maitland (Metford area), against 6 in Marsden Park (Shanes Park area). The zoned government school for an address is shown above under "Which school is zoned?".
Make this comparison yours
The Move Planner adds your kids' ages, school catchment zones on the map, and a shareable link for your partner.
Plan the move: Marsden Park - Shanes Park → East Maitland - Metford