Adelaide private schools raise fees by up to 3.3 per cent for 2019, Prince Alfred College now most expensive

How much does it cost to put a child through school these days? If you’re sending them to one of these elite institutions, the answer is a LOT. See the table of Adelaide private school fees for 2019.

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Prince Alfred College has overtaken traditional rival all-boys school St Peter’s College as Adelaide’s most expensive at Year 12 level, as colleges raise fees by up to 3.3 per cent.

But a Saints education is dearer than a Princes one overall.

PAC is charging $26,820 for Year 12, up 2.5 per cent, while St Peter’s Year 12 charge is marginally lower at $26,790, a rise in line with inflation of 1.8 per cent.

At this year’s prices, the cost of a Reception to Year 12 education at St Peter’s is $284,440, compared with $278,040 at PAC. But even modest fee increases in future years will make those totals much larger.

Walford is the priciest all-girls school for Year 12 at $26,730, followed by St Peter’s Girls on $26,700 and Seymour College on $26,390.

Of the prominent private schools surveyed by The Advertiser, all-girls Wilderness School has the largest Year 12 fee rise of 3.3 per cent to $26,214.

Co-ed Pembroke School and Scotch College are also above the $26,000 mark.

Association of Independent Schools of SA chief executive Carolyn Grantskalns said there were two reasons why wages was the key factor behind relatively low fee rises over the past two to three years.

St Peter’s College is no longer the most expensive private school in Adelaide at Year 12 leve, but is the most costly overall.

“Schools are really conscious that families and most people in paid employment have not seen big pay rises in recent years,” she said.

“They don’t want to exacerbate the financial stresses some households find themselves under.”

Ms Grantskalns said the second reason was that wages were schools’ biggest cost, so more modest salary rises for staff in recent years meant less pressure to raise fees, though costs such as IT and maintenance continued to soar.

Prince Alfred College headmaster Bradley Fenner said the school did all it could to keep fees to “the lowest possible price”, with rises averaging about 2.7 per cent across all year levels, because “we are aware of the challenges some of our families face”.

Mr Fenner said the difference in charges between high-fee schools was relatively small and “to provide a high-quality education is an expensive business”.

Prince Alfred College’s main building. Pic James Knowler / @jkcrewphotos

St Peter’s College council of governors chairman Joe Thorp wrote to parents saying the 1.8 per cent fee increase was “in line with CPI and is the same modest increase as last year”.

“I am happy to report that with sound and prudent management by the headmaster and his leadership team, the school is now breaking even at the operating line,” he wrote.

“This is historically significant, achieved by containing operational expenses to focus on benefiting our boys’ education and development.

“Healthy enrolments together with continued prudent financial management will ensure St Peter’s College remains an exceptional community of learning.”

A Wilderness spokeswoman said: “Each year, Wilderness School reviews and sets its fees to ensure that it attracts and retains the best teachers, continues to provide the best possible facilities and opportunities for its girls and meets the expectations of parents and families.”

The lowest Year 12 fee rise among surveyed schools was 1.4 per cent for all-girls Catholic school St Aloysius College, to $10,614.

Other Catholic colleges Loreto and Rostrevor have rises of 2.5 and 2.4 per cent respectively.