Westside’s most expensive private schools revealed

Only one westside or inner-city private school managed to freeze school fees this year, but COVID-19 has helped keep prices low.

Year 12 class of 2020 at Somerville House (L-R) Gabrielle Gunn, Jemma Curran and Samantha Wong. It is one of many private schools to raise fees this year. Picture: Richard Gosling

The pandemic has had a silver lining for parents with children at the westside and inner-city’s private schools, with fee rises among the lowest in years.

An analysis of 2021 tuition fees by Quest Newspapers revealed most had managed to keep increases to under three per cent.

Direct comparisons are difficult because some fees are inclusive of all costs, some cover only tuition and some schools have different charges depending on year level.

Brisbane Grammar School was once again the most expensive, with tuition for Years 7-12 at the Spring Hill GPS school coming in at $28,230 this year. That is up 2.44 per cent on last year.

Adjacent Brisbane Girls Grammar School was the second most expensive at $26,555, up 2.91 per cent on last year for Years 7-12.

Brisbane Boys’ College in Toowong was in third place with fees this year for tuition $24,724 for Years 7-12, but that was up only 0.55 per cent on 2020.

Somerville House (South Brisbane) parents must find $23,940 for their Year 7-12 children, or 2.42 per cent more than in 2020.

St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School in Corinda will charge $22,120 for Years 7-12 this year, also up a modest 1.09 per cent.

And St Peters Lutheran College in Indooroopilly is asking between $19,412 and $22,796 for high school students, depending on their year level, or just under two per cent more than in 2020.

Indooroopilly’s Ambrose Treacy College was the only private school in the inner west or inner city to freeze its fees this year.

The opening of the new Middle School at Ambrose Treacy College. ATC has frozen fee rises this year.

Like most other Catholic schools in the area its fees were relatively modest.

The cheapest for 2021 is St Laurence’s College in South Brisbane where parents have to pay only $8440, which was up 3.83 per cent on last year.

While most rises were above inflation, Edstart Chief Executive Jack Stevens said it was a good effort.

He said the past four years had seen a steady decline in school fee inflation, but the pandemic had accelerated the trend.

AMBROSE TREACY COLLEGE 2020 SCHOOL FORMAL PHOTO GALLERY

Ambrose Treacy Principal, Chris Ryan, said they were delighted to be in a position to freeze rises this year.

“We are in a fortunate position where Ambrose Treacy College is supporting our families in 2021 by having no increases in tuition fees,’’ Mr Ryan said.

“The contribution our families make to their son’s education through their commitment to the paying of fees is significant and it is pleasing to be able to support our community in this way this year.’’

Stuartholme School in Toowong said it had managed to keep increases for Year 7-9 fees low.

Stuartholme 2020 seniors Grace Gaston, Sithara-Anne French, Sophie Bauman, and Sophie Marriott. The school worked hard to keep fee rises low. Picture: Liam Kidston

“Stuartholme School understands the need to keep school fee increases as low as possible,’’ Principal Kristen Sharpe said.

“Our aim is to not only keep fees increases low, but to ensure the increases do not fluctuate. “In the past two years, our fee increase for Years 7 to 9 was three per cent and for years 10-12 it was four per cent.

“Over these last two years we have also kept boarding fees frozen for our rural and remote families, acknowledging the impact by environmental conditions.

“Stuartholme’s combined boarding and tuition fees are the lowest for girls’ boarding schools in Brisbane.

TOP HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF 2020 REVEALED

“Stuartholme has an all-inclusive fee policy. The fee covers the cost of tuition, textbooks, technology licenses and software, year level camps and retreats, compulsory in-class excursions, alumnae membership, P&F levy, and a number of miscellaneous expenses such as class photo packs.

“We believe this approach makes it easier for families when it comes to budgeting.”

The school’s boarders were particularly hard hit by COVID-19 travel restrictions and made an inspiring video last year pleading with the Government to allow them to go home for the school holidays.

St Aidan’s has deferred fee increases until semester two.

“The challenges we have faced in 2020 have resulted in the worst economic conditions

within Australia for the past 29 years,’’ School Council chair Stephen Green said.

“When deliberating on the fees for 2021 the School Council has been very conscious of this, however it must also balance a growing cost base and preserving the experience our girls enjoy at St Aidan’s.

“To this end ... there will be a small increase in fees in 2021, applied from Semester 2

only, therefore all families will pay 2020 fee levels (nil increase) for the first half of 2021.’’

The Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association (PMSA), which oversees four schools including Somerville House and BBC, said it had been “very mindful of the current challenges and have worked extremely hard to contain fee increases for families in 2021’’.

Brisbane Boys’ College in Toowong is one of four PMSA schools. They each have protocols to help parents suffering financial hardship.

BRISBANE BOYS’ COLLEGE 2020 SCHOOL FORMAL PHOTO GALLERY

“Across our PMSA schools, wages contribute to about two thirds of the school’s running cost and fees increase because wages continue to rise,’’ PMSA chief executive officer Sharon Callister said.

“Each PMSA school manages their own finances and, under the PMSA guidance, determines their own fee increases depending on their expenses.

“In 2021, Somerville House increased tuition fees 2.5 per cent but boarding fees remained the same as 2020.’’

Ms Callister said all of its schools reached out to families early during the pandemic and continued to work closely with any who had been financially affected.

“Our schools have different hardship funds and payment programs to provide assistance,’’ she said.

“Somerville House, for example, has worked closely with their Somerville House Foundation and Old Girls’ Association to provide financial assistance and bursaries to families in financial need.’’