April 16, 2026
If schools are part of your home search, you already know one truth: the right house is only part of the decision. In Breese, many buyers want to understand how living near Mater Dei Catholic High School fits into daily life, school options, and long-term resale considerations. This guide will walk you through the school landscape, housing context, and practical details that matter most as you explore homes in ZIP code 62230. Let’s dive in.
Mater Dei Catholic High School is located at 900 North Mater Dei Drive in Breese. The City of Breese describes it as a diocesan regional high school founded in 1954, and the school notes enrollment of more than 400 students, dual credit with Kaskaskia College, and a wide range of clubs and athletics.
Breese has more than one school path, which is important for buyers to understand early. According to the City of Breese schools overview, the community includes a public high school, a parochial high school, a public elementary district, and a Catholic grade school.
For many households, the public route generally means PK-8 through Breese Elementary School District 12 and high school through Central Community High School District #71. Families looking at Catholic education may instead consider All Saints Academy for K-8 and Mater Dei for high school.
If you are comparing school-related home search priorities, Mater Dei stands out for a few practical reasons:
For buyers, that matters because convenience is not only about distance to one campus. It is also about transportation options, budgeting, and how your daily routine may work if you live in Breese or commute in from nearby communities.
Buying a home near Mater Dei does not automatically mean one school path fits every household. In Breese, the local school setup is more layered than a simple ZIP code search might suggest.
Breese ESD 12 serves PK-8 and has 625 students. The district is based at 777 Memorial Drive and uses a two-campus structure with Breese Elementary and Beckemeyer Grade School.
For high school, Central Community High School District #71 is located at 7740 Old US Highway 50 in Breese and serves eight central Clinton County communities: Albers, Aviston, Bartelso, Beckemeyer, Breese, Damiansville, Germantown, and St. Rose. The City of Breese notes that Central offers four curriculum levels: honors, general, vocational, and remedial.
For families interested in Catholic education before high school, All Saints Academy is the local K-8 option. It has campuses at 295 N. Clinton St. and 260 S. Main St. in Breese and serves several parishes along with other families seeking a Catholic education.
That creates a local progression some buyers specifically want to support: All Saints Academy through grade school, then Mater Dei for high school. If that is part of your plan, home location can affect how simple your weekly routine feels.
Breese is a compact city, which can make daily logistics more manageable. The city covers 2.7 square miles and has 4,301 residents, according to Census Reporter’s Breese profile.
Because Mater Dei, Central, and Breese Elementary are all located in Breese, day-to-day school runs for in-town addresses are generally short. That conclusion comes from the schools’ Breese addresses and the city’s small size.
For many buyers, that can translate into practical benefits like easier drop-offs, less time spent crossing town, and a more predictable school-week routine. In a smaller community, convenience often comes from being close to everyday destinations instead of relying on major commuter corridors.
Mater Dei also publishes transportation information that may matter if you are moving from outside the immediate area. In its FAQ page, the school says many families carpool and that, for students living outside the Central Community High School district, it provides free transportation to points east to Salem, north to Highland, south to Mt. Vernon, and west to Route 4 and I-64/Air Mobility Drive.
For households that do not drive every trip, the city also notes that South Central Transit offers shuttle service with predetermined stops in New Baden, Trenton, Aviston, Breese, Beckemeyer, and Carlyle to Centralia Correctional Center and Kaskaskia College. Most local commuting still appears car-based, though, with a mean travel time to work of 27.7 minutes in Breese.
If you are picturing brand-new subdivisions surrounding the school, the data suggests a different story. Breese appears to be a settled, mostly single-family housing market with a long-established residential pattern.
The NCES ACS-ED profile for Breese School District 12 shows 80.4% owner-occupied family housing, 83.0% houses, and 40.6% of structures built before 1970. The city’s comprehensive plan also described Breese housing as neither particularly new nor particularly old and noted a goal of maintaining stable property values.
For buyers, that usually means your search may include a mix of established homes, mature lots, and neighborhoods with a familiar small-town feel. For sellers, it supports the idea that convenience, upkeep, and location within the community can matter as much as new-construction features.
Recent market data points to a small but active local market. Zillow’s Breese home value page lists a typical home value of $252,996, up 8.6% year over year, with 12 active listings as of February 28, 2026.
The same research report notes that Realtor.com’s ZIP 62230 page reported a median listing price of $320,000, about 79 days on market, and homes selling 2.33% below asking on average in February 2026. Taken together, those numbers suggest a market where pricing, condition, and location still matter, especially when inventory is limited.
When you are house hunting near Mater Dei, it helps to think beyond the phrase “good school area” and focus on concrete questions. That approach keeps your search practical, accurate, and aligned with fair housing guidelines.
Here are a few smart questions to ask during your search:
ZIP code alone does not tell the whole story in Breese. The school path can differ depending on whether you are planning around public schools, Catholic schools, or a combination over time.
If Mater Dei is part of your plan, tuition needs to be part of the conversation early. For 2025-2026, Mater Dei lists tuition at $6,510 for the first Catholic student and $7,010 for the first non-Catholic or out-of-district student, plus a course-and-activity fee of $240 to $350, according to the school’s tuition and fees page.
The same page says the school does not charge extra for transportation, extracurriculars, athletics, parking, or home-event admission. Mater Dei also says on its scholarships and tuition assistance page that nearly 50% of students received a scholarship or memorial grant for 2025-2026, with more than fifty scholarships and over $100,000 in memorial grants available annually.
That does not eliminate the need to budget carefully, but it does give buyers more context as they compare mortgage targets, down payment plans, and school-related costs.
If you are selling a home near Mater Dei, school proximity can be part of your property story, but it should be presented factually. The strongest marketing angle is often convenience: access to in-town destinations, established housing, and Breese’s long-standing school network.
The local data also supports a stable, owner-occupied market profile. Clinton County has a 79.3% owner-occupied housing rate, a median owner-occupied home value of $180,500, and a median gross rent of $934, according to U.S. Census QuickFacts for Clinton County.
That kind of housing base can appeal to buyers who want a settled community rather than a fast-turnover environment. Still, resale outcomes depend on the home itself, pricing strategy, condition, and overall market timing.
A home search near Mater Dei is rarely just about one address. You are weighing school options, housing style, budget, commute habits, and the reality of a smaller local market where inventory may be limited.
That is where local guidance helps. When you understand how Breese schools, neighborhood patterns, and pricing fit together, you can make a clearer decision and avoid chasing homes that do not match your priorities.
If you are buying or selling near Mater Dei in Breese, working with a local team can help you sort through the details and move with confidence. Reach out to Jay Kehrer for practical, hands-on guidance tailored to your goals.
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