How much do Australian Private Schools Cost?

Private school tuition fees vary considerably across Australia, however you may expect to pay anywhere between $16,000 and $29,000 for a Year 12 day student attending an established, well regarded metropolitan private school - with boarding fees in addition.  Most schools do, however, provide a discount of some form for families where multiple children attend the same school.

Fee Comparisons 
 

To provide some additional detail, the table below provides an indication of school fees payable at some well known colleges across Australia for Year 12 students. These are generally prestigious schools and their fees are at the very top end of the range - Catholic schools are usually appreciably less expensive.  The table illustrates some considerable differences in fees between Melbourne and Sydney and other mainland state capitals, although this seems to be narrowing. Compulsory levies have been included in fee comparisons where possible - IT and "Tablet" levies are currently very common - but you are advised to read schedules in detail and look beyond the "headline" annual fees.

The trend over recent years has been for the increase in private school fees to significantly exceed wage and wider inflation; compound increases of over 6% being common amongst the better known schools, effectively doubling the cost of private education every decade. In most private businesses this would be unsustainable and it will inevitably cause major problems - particularly if there any significant changes to public education funding. Obviously, school fees need to be very carefully considered within your financial planning if you are committed to the private school system - in many situations the cost of sending two children through an Australian private school will cost more than AUD500K.

It may seem pointless to include schools in the comparison who do not make their fees public. However, you need to question a school's reluctance to publish its fees and whether this is consistent with their receiving any level of public funding.

Non- Residents : Private School Costs
 

The difference between private school fees for resident and a non-residents can be quite substantial; the figures below are those applying in relation to an Anglican Church Grammar Year 12 boarder, and they are fairly representative:
 

Additional Costs

Apart from the cost of school fees, the cost of attendance at an Australian private school includes a range of potential additional costs.  A summarised, but by no means exhaustive, list of costs split into non-recurring and recurring costs appears below:

Non – Recurring
 

• Application Fee – circa $50 to $200
• Enrolment Fee – circa $500 to $2,500 and may be higher; Christ Church charges a non-refundable/non-tax deductible fee of $5,380 for admission
• Non Interest Bearing Loans – may increase as a child progresses through the school

Recurring
 

• Building Levies – Compulsory or Voluntary
• Compulsory purchase of IT equipment - laptops and tablets
• Additional subject costs eg. music, language, sports tuition
• Special Programme costs
• School Camps and Trips
• Uniforms
• Musical equipment hire
• School bus services
• Book charges
• Pre and After-school care costs
• Fundraising support (voluntary)
• International Baccalaureate levies