Harbour City public education now Australia’s most expensive ‘free’ schooling, cost index claims

The Harbour City is the single most expensive place in Australia to put your child through school – even in the public system – new research reveals. Here’s how much you’ll need to budget for 13 years of education.

The Harbour City is the single most expensive place in Australia to put your child through school – even in the public system – new research reveals.

The annual cost of education index, produced by investment firm Futurity, puts Sydney at the top of the list for both state-run and independent private schools, with families now expected to budget more than $150,000 for 13 years of ‘free’ public education.

For children starting school this year, it will cost parents an estimated $411,000 to put them through the independent sector.

Sydney has long been the most expensive of Australia’s capital cities for independent schooling, according to the Futurity study, however the 2025 index marks the first time in three years Sydney has overtaken Melbourne as the priciest government education, the cost of which has gone up 59 per cent.

So-called “voluntary contributions” have crept up from 3 per cent of the total cost of schooling to 5 per cent, and the parents surveyed are also paying substantially more for camps and excursions, the cost of which has almost doubled since 2023 to $602 a year on average.

Parents are also paying a lot more for uniforms and electronic devices, which now account for 20 per cent of their budget.

The Smith Family CEO Doug Taylor said the findings broadly reflect what families accessing the charity’s Learning For Life scholarship are struggling to find the money for most - 30 per cent of those students don’t have a laptop at home.

The Smith Family CEO Doug Taylor. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

School excursions have also become a significant “pinch point”, he said, with 38 per cent of families who responded to The Smith Family’s Pulse survey saying their children are likely to miss out, up from 32 per cent the year prior.

“School are doing their absolute best,” Mr Taylor said.

“There’s obviously some discretionary budget, with welfare, to support students in need, but ... it becomes challenging in disadvantaged communities with higher percentages of disadvantaged students.

“It’s really hard to make the budget extend to meet the needs of all those students.”

Families are finding it harder to afford ancillary school costs - and may need to budget up to half a million dollars for 13 years of schooling.

The Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations in NSW called on the state government to provide more relief for ancillary school costs, to ensure no child misses out, and reiterated calls on the federal government to lift its share of public school funding.

“Access to excursions, school sport, and extra-curricular activities should be available to all students, regardless of their family’s income,” president Aresha Quaass said.

“In a state facing high cost-of-living pressures, governments must ensure no child goes without these essential elements of public education.”

“Public education should be the great equaliser, ensuring that every child has access to the opportunities they deserve,” P&C Federation CEO Gemma Quinn added.

Acting Education Minister John Graham said voluntary contributions are capped at $51 for primary and $110 for high schools, and making that payment “is and always will be 100 per cent voluntary”.

“Parents should not be spooked. Public education remains free for NSW children attending public schools,” he said.

The 13-year estimated cost of a Catholic education in Sydney is $197,349 according to the Futurity index, and approximately $50,000 cheaper in regional and remote NSW.

Outside of Sydney, a public school education is estimated to cost around $89,500, while independent private schooling would cost $250,900 under the modelling.