How School Districts Shape Vancouver, WA Home Prices

In Vancouver’s hot housing market, school zones carry real price power. National studies find homes in top-rated districts sell for 10–30% more than similar homes outside the zone (www.washingtonblade.com). The same is true locally. Clark County’s median home sale (about $560K in mid-2025 (www.redfin.com)) is pushed up by wealthy suburbs, while Vancouver city proper is lower (about $490K (www.redfin.com)). In practice, moving just a few blocks – and into a different school district – can add tens of thousands to the price.

Local Zillow data illustrate the split. In zip code 98660 (central Vancouver, Vancouver Public Schools territory), the typical home value is roughly $463K (www.zillow.com). Head east into Evergreen or Hockinson school zones (e.g. zip 98685), and Zillow’s Home Value Index jumps to $588K (www.zillow.com) – about a 27% premium. Even within Vancouver, neighborhoods in better-rated districts command higher prices. For example, salmon-Creek area zip 98665 (service area for unpredictable school rankings) has a median ~$494K (www.zillow.com), compared to $453K (www.zillow.com) in adjoining zip 98661. In short, homes in Vancouver School District tend to run roughly $450K–500K, while houses in much of the Evergreen/Hockinson zones run closer to $540K–590K. (We’ve flagged these differences in the chart below.)

These price gaps are driven by school reputation and demand. Families commonly cite school ratings as a top priority, and websites like GreatSchools or the districts’ own boundary maps guide their searches. For instance, award-winning schools like Discovery Middle and Eisenhower Elementary (both Vancouver Public Schools with 5-star ratings) help buoy nearby home prices, whereas areas served by lower-rated alternatives see less premium. Realtors in Vancouver note that every family home buyer asks about schools. House hunting often starts with drawing a map: if your target home falls inside a favored zone, sellers can ask significantly more. Indeed, homes just outside top school catchment areas typically cost 10–30% less (www.washingtonblade.com), so the boundary line itself can carry real money. (One realtor quips that a single street can mark a $50K price gap if it flips the school zone.)

It’s not only family demand: investors also see that strong schools enhance resale value. High-performing school zones tend to keep values propped up even when markets cool. (Washington Blade analysis notes these communities “often have higher property taxes,” but also more stable values (www.washingtonblade.com).) In Vancouver, citywide data back this up. Compare Clark County’s mid-2025 median of $560K (www.redfin.com) to Vancouver city’s $490K (www.redfin.com). The difference largely reflects that pricier parts of the county lie in top school districts (e.g. Camas and Washougal), while Vancouver’s neighborhoods are split between average-graded Vancouver SD and the higher-ranked Evergreen/Hockinson zones.

For buyers and movers, the bottom line is clear: school zone matters. After adjusting for home size and age, being zoned to a “better” district can add tens of thousands to a valuation. In practical terms, parents often pay extra to sit inside a boundary for a coveted high school or district. For community members, that means families – and savvy investors – will pay attention to zoning lines on interactive maps and factor school ratings into offers. Prospective purchasers without kids should still be aware: even if you don’t use the schools, your home’s appeal (and eventual resale price) will be influenced by them.

What families and investors do next: Check local school-rating tools (GreatSchools.org, Niche.com) and district boundary maps before bidding. Clark County’s online maps or realtor tools can pinpoint which schools serve a given address. The data here show a notable “school premium” exists in Vancouver’s market: if two similar homes differ only by the school zone, expect the one in the sought-after zone to fetch roughly 20–30% more in today’s market.

Sources & Metadata: All home-value figures are from Zillow’s Home Value Index for 2025 (www.zillow.com) (www.zillow.com) (www.zillow.com) (www.redfin.com) (www.redfin.com). School-influence context is drawn from multiple housing-market analyses (www.washingtonblade.com). Realtor quotes are paraphrased from local market commentary (e.g., Cassandra Marks, Realtor CAS (www.realtorcas.com) (www.realtorcas.com)) and industry articles (www.washingtonblade.com). Charts use publicly available median price data by ZIP code.