Two in five parents would choose a different school for their children if they had the choice again.

But parents were less likely to have regrets if they did their own research by visiting the school, speaking to staff or using information on the My School website, rather than relying on word of mouth or doing no research.

The Centre for Independent Studies, a think tank that supports freedom of choice in education, polled more than 1000 parents from state and non-government schools to gauge their views on school selection and funding for its paper, What Do Parents Want from Schools?

Parents were most likely to prioritise location, facilities and results, then consider cost, discipline and their child's interests when choosing a school, the national survey found. They were least likely to care about whether the school was single-sex or not.

The most popular source of information (53 per cent) was family and friends, but almost as many parents visited the school, two in five checked the school's website, a third spoke to staff, and a quarter visited the My School website, which publishes financial, demographic, attendance and NAPLAN data.