Moving to Lara from Ballarat North (Invermay area)
Schools, childcare, demographics and house prices for Lara and Ballarat North - Invermay, side by side - all from public government data.
Lara has 23,952 people (ABS, June 2025), +4.5% in a year, a median house price of $715,000, 5 schools and 17 childcare services. Full Lara 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.
Black Hill Primary School
The government school your child can attend for free by living in Ballarat North - Invermay.
This is the zoned government school for the centre of Ballarat North - Invermay (VIC 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.
Lara Primary School
The government school your child can attend for free by living in Lara.
This is the zoned government school for the centre of Lara (VIC 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
Government schools in Lara and Ballarat North - Invermay have a similar average ICSEA (995 and 1,006) - a measure of student intake, not teaching quality.
Catholic/independent schools are separate from the free government catchment - average ICSEA Lara 1,040 (1 school), Ballarat North - Invermay 1,090 (1 school).
There are 5 schools in Lara, compared to 7 in Ballarat North - Invermay.
Childcare services matched by suburb name: 17 in Lara vs 12 in Ballarat North - Invermay.
The proportion of children from non-English-speaking backgrounds is higher in Lara at 11.8% (vs 4.9% in Ballarat North - Invermay).
Lara has a SEIFA advantage (IRSAD) of Decile 5, below Ballarat North - Invermay's Decile 6. Decile 10 is the most advantaged nationally.
Median house prices are 16% higher in Lara ($715,000 vs $617,500).
Similar suburbs near Lara
Related moves
What is the population of Lara?
23,952 people lived in Lara at June 2025 (ABS Estimated Resident Population), a change of +4.5% over the year. Ballarat North (Invermay area) had 15,204.
Are houses cheaper in Lara than in Ballarat North (Invermay area)?
No. The median house price is $715,000 in Lara and $617,500 in Ballarat North (Invermay area), 16% higher in Lara.
How many schools are in Lara?
ACARA lists 5 schools in Lara, against 7 in Ballarat North (Invermay 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: Ballarat North - Invermay → Lara