Brief
Sydney private school fees could hit $800,000 for 13‑year education
Projected tuition hikes would push the total cost of a full independent education in Sydney to around $800,000 by the end of the next decade.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Snowballing tuition hikes mean the cost of 13 years of an independent education in Sydney could reach $800,000 by the end of the next decade if school fees continue to grow at 5 per cent each year, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
What happened
The King’s School in North Parramatta released its 2027 fee schedule last week, showing a 4.8 per cent increase for Year 12 that pushed the annual tuition above $50,000 before extra lunch and technology levies. The school had raised fees by 6.2 per cent the previous year. Using a straight‑line projection of 5 per cent annual growth, a child starting kindergarten at King’s in 2027 would face a total cost of $790,000 by the time they finish Year 12 in 2039, with Year 12 alone costing $94,066.
What the reports add
Other high‑fee schools are already charging similar amounts. Scots College, for example, bills $52,000 for Years 7‑10, which would bring the 13‑year total to $807,000 under the same 5 per cent growth assumption. The article notes that at least 20 of Sydney’s high‑fee schools are on a comparable trajectory.
What was said
University of NSW economist Richard Holden said the tight labour market for teachers was driving up costs, adding that “around 5 per cent doesn’t sound aggressive at all, it could end up being lower, but we have seen some increases in recent times which have been higher than that.” He also linked higher fees to rising teacher salaries, demands for high‑quality facilities and energy costs, and said parental anxiety about AI‑driven job markets was fuelling demand for private education.
Graham Catt, chief executive of Independent Schools Australia, cautioned that a straight‑line 5 per cent projection is arithmetic, not a forecast. He said schools set fees year by year against actual costs and families decide what works for them.
How it came about
The fee increases follow new enterprise agreements that will see a handful of schools paying teachers $150,000 or more next year. The article builds on Felo News’ earlier coverage of Sydney private schools’ high parental income levels, which highlighted that several schools already belong to a $500,000‑parent‑income club.
Key facts
- King's School Year 12 tuition for 2027 rose 4.8% to just over $50,000 (smh.com.au)
- A straight‑line 5% annual fee increase would cost a child $790,000 for 13 years starting in 2027 (smh.com.au)
- Scots College charges $52,000 for Years 7‑10, projecting a $807,000 total under the same growth rate (smh.com.au)
- University of NSW economist Richard Holden linked fee rises to tight teacher labour market and higher facility costs (smh.com.au)
- Independent Schools Australia CEO Graham Catt said fee projections are arithmetic, not forecasts (smh.com.au)
Sources
- [1] smh.com.au — originally reported as “Parent income for every private school in Sydney”
