Family-friendly ranking · Greater Canberra

Best Suburbs for Families in Canberra 2026

By the average ICSEA of their schools, among suburbs where families with dependants are at least 40% of households, the ten best Greater Canberra suburbs for families are Bruce, Hackett, Hughes, Barton, Curtin, Red Hill, Ainslie, Forrest, Yarralumla and Turner.

Updated 1 October 2026. Medians for 2024. Ranked from 75 Greater Canberra suburbs.

How we ranked them.

Ranked by the average ICSEA (ACARA's Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) of the schools we hold for each suburb, highest first, from 75 Greater Canberra suburbs where families with dependants are at least 40% of households (2021 Census) and 1,000 or more people live.
Prices for the Australian Capital Territory are ABS statistical-area (SA2) medians: each is the median for the area that carries the suburb's name. An SA2 can take in surrounding localities, so a figure can differ from sales in the suburb itself. The medians are for 2024.
These ABS medians come without a 12-month change, so none is printed or ranked here.
The price beside a suburb is the median its own page publishes; a dash means none is published.
Greater Canberra is the suburbs in postcodes 2600 to 2620, 2900 to 2914. Postal delivery names and institutions are left out.
Distance to the CBD is a straight line from the suburb's postcode centroid to the Canberra GPO, rounded to the kilometre.

Full methodology →

The ten, in order

1. Bruce, 2617

Bruce (2617) is about 6 km from the Canberra CBD. The one school we hold for the suburb has an ICSEA of 1203 (ACARA), the highest in Greater Canberra among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 59% of households. The median house price is $1,276,000 (the ABS statistical-area median for the area that carries its name). 7,520 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA: 1203
Family households: 59%
Median house price: $1,276,000 area
Km to CBD: 6

Bruce suburb profile →

2. Hackett, 2602

Hackett (2602) is about 5 km from the Canberra CBD. The one school we hold for the suburb has an ICSEA of 1164 (ACARA), the 2nd highest in Greater Canberra among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 71% of households. The median house price is $1,200,000 (the ABS statistical-area median for the area that carries its name). 3,227 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA: 1164
Family households: 71%
Median house price: $1,200,000 area
Km to CBD: 5

Hackett suburb profile →

3. Hughes, 2605

Hughes (2605) is about 7 km from the Canberra CBD. The one school we hold for the suburb has an ICSEA of 1157 (ACARA), the 3rd highest in Greater Canberra among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 72% of households. The median house price is $1,422,000 (the ABS statistical-area median for the area that carries its name). 3,210 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA: 1157
Family households: 72%
Median house price: $1,422,000 area
Km to CBD: 7

Hughes suburb profile →

4. Barton, 2600

Barton (2600) is about 3 km from the Canberra CBD. The one school we hold for the suburb has an ICSEA of 1153 (ACARA), the 4th highest in Greater Canberra among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 48% of households. The median house price is $620,000 (the ABS statistical-area median for the area that carries its name). 1,946 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA: 1153
Family households: 48%
Median house price: $620,000 area
Km to CBD: 3

Barton suburb profile →

5. Curtin, 2605

Curtin (2605) is about 7 km from the Canberra CBD. The two schools we hold for the suburb average an ICSEA of 1146 (ACARA), the 5th highest in Greater Canberra among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 74% of households. The median house price is $1,426,000 (the ABS statistical-area median for the area that carries its name). 5,569 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA: 1146
Family households: 74%
Median house price: $1,426,000 area
Km to CBD: 7

Curtin suburb profile →

6. Red Hill, 2603

Red Hill (2603) is about 6 km from the Canberra CBD. The three schools we hold for the suburb average an ICSEA of 1146 (ACARA), the 6th highest in Greater Canberra among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 78% of households. No house median is published for it yet. 3,146 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA: 1146
Family households: 78%
Median house price: –
Km to CBD: 6

Red Hill suburb profile →

7. Ainslie, 2602

Ainslie (2602) is about 2 km from the Canberra CBD. The one school we hold for the suburb has an ICSEA of 1145 (ACARA), the 7th highest in Greater Canberra among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 63% of households. The median house price is $1,500,000 (the ABS statistical-area median for the area that carries its name). 5,376 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA: 1145
Family households: 63%
Median house price: $1,500,000 area
Km to CBD: 2

Ainslie suburb profile →

8. Forrest, 2603

Forrest (2603) is about 4 km from the Canberra CBD. The one school we hold for the suburb has an ICSEA of 1145 (ACARA), the 8th highest in Greater Canberra among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 67% of households. The median house price is $5,000,000 (the ABS statistical-area median for the area that carries its name). 1,827 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA: 1145
Family households: 67%
Median house price: $5,000,000 area
Km to CBD: 4

Forrest suburb profile →

9. Yarralumla, 2600

Yarralumla (2600) is about 4 km from the Canberra CBD. The one school we hold for the suburb has an ICSEA of 1142 (ACARA), the 9th highest in Greater Canberra among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 71% of households. The median house price is $2,228,000 (the ABS statistical-area median for the area that carries its name). 3,120 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA: 1142
Family households: 71%
Median house price: $2,228,000 area
Km to CBD: 4

Yarralumla suburb profile →

10. Turner, 2612

Turner (2612) is about 1 km from the Canberra CBD. The one school we hold for the suburb has an ICSEA of 1141 (ACARA), the 10th highest in Greater Canberra among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 47% of households. The median house price is $2,195,000 (the ABS statistical-area median for the area that carries its name). 4,470 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA: 1141
Family households: 47%
Median house price: $2,195,000 area
Km to CBD: 1

Turner suburb profile →

The ten compared.

#	Suburb	Avg school ICSEA	Family households	Median house price	Km to CBD	Profile
1	Bruce 2617	1203	59%	$1,276,000 area	6	View profile →
2	Hackett 2602	1164	71%	$1,200,000 area	5	View profile →
3	Hughes 2605	1157	72%	$1,422,000 area	7	View profile →
4	Barton 2600	1153	48%	$620,000 area	3	View profile →
5	Curtin 2605	1146	74%	$1,426,000 area	7	View profile →
6	Red Hill 2603	1146	78%	–	6	View profile →
7	Ainslie 2602	1145	63%	$1,500,000 area	2	View profile →
8	Forrest 2603	1145	67%	$5,000,000 area	4	View profile →
9	Yarralumla 2600	1142	71%	$2,228,000 area	4	View profile →
10	Turner 2612	1141	47%	$2,195,000 area	1	View profile →

A dash means the suburb’s own page publishes no figure. “Area” marks an ABS statistical-area median.

Five more worth a look.

Ranks 11 to 15 on the same rule, for a shortlist that runs past the ten.

Lyneham, 2602: Average school ICSEA 1140, families 53% of households
Aranda, 2614: Average school ICSEA 1138, families 79% of households
Braddon, 2612: Average school ICSEA 1134, families 41% of households
Campbell, 2612: Average school ICSEA 1134, families 64% of households
Holder, 2611: Average school ICSEA 1130, families 72% of households

Common questions

For families in Canberra: what people ask.

What are the best suburbs in Canberra for families?

By the average ICSEA of their schools, among Greater Canberra suburbs where families with dependants are at least 40% of households, the top three are Bruce (ICSEA 1203), Hackett (ICSEA 1164) and Hughes (ICSEA 1157). ICSEA is ACARA's index of the socio-educational backgrounds of a school's students, published for every Australian school; it is a proxy for resourcing and outcomes, not a measure of teaching, so check the in-catchment school for an address before buying. The ranking is drawn from 75 suburbs.

How much does a house cost in the top family suburbs in Canberra?

Nine of the ten suburbs on this page have a published median house price, from $620,000 in Barton to $5,000,000 in Forrest. Prices for the Australian Capital Territory are ABS statistical-area (SA2) medians: each is the median for the area that carries the suburb's name. An SA2 can take in surrounding localities, so a figure can differ from sales in the suburb itself. A dash in the table means the suburb's own page publishes no median, because its source is distrusted or it rests on fewer than five recorded sales.

What suburbs should I stay away from in Canberra?

We do not publish a list of suburbs to avoid. This page ranks suburbs for families on measured figures, and a suburb missing from it may simply have no school with an ICSEA we hold, a family share under 40% of households or fewer than 1,000 residents. Each suburb's own page shows its crime figures where the state publishes them and its rents and sales, so check those for the address you are looking at rather than the suburb's reputation.

Which suburbs will boom in Canberra in 2026?

We do not predict which suburbs will boom, and we hold no growth figure to rank Canberra suburbs on: the medians we publish for the ACT are ABS statistical-area (SA2) medians for 2024, and they come without a 12-month change. A figure beside a suburb here is a median, a rent, a yield, a walk score or a school ICSEA, each measured and sourced, never a forecast. Each suburb's own page shows its published median and says where it comes from.

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