Sydney’s most expensive private schools in 2021 revealed: Full list

Parents at Sydney’s most expensive private schools are expected to pay almost half a million dollars for their child’s education.

Parents at Sydney’s most expensive private schools are expected to pay almost half a million dollars for their child’s education as principals hike up fees.

Just 20 per cent of NSW private schools have frozen fee increases compared to 40 per cent nationally, according to a new school fees report by financing firm Edstart.

The analysis of 400 schools nationally included 93 in NSW and found while the majority of the state’s private schools did increase their 2021 fees, the average fee increase went from 3.01 per cent last year to just 1.74 per cent this year.

Among the most expensive is girls school SCEGGS Darlinghurst whose fees jumped from $39,700 to $41,090 this year for a student in Year 12.

A parent enrolling their child in Kindergarten this year is expected to spend $443,165 over 13 years of schooling. That figure does not include future price increases, excursions, co-curricular activities, sport costs, uniforms and textbooks.

Schools which put the brakes on their fees include Cranbrook in Bellevue Hill, The King’s School in North Parramatta and SCEGGS Redlands in Cremorne.

But others hitting parents up for more cash include Trinity Grammar School in Summer Hill which increased fees by $1040 to $37,030, St Catherine’s Waverley which hiked fees by $550 to $36,590 while St Joseph’s College at Hunters Hill increased costs for parents by $960 to $35,820.

Edstart chief executive Jack Stevens said many families were seeking out finance to manage paying the fees.

“Despite many schools holding off on fee increases, we’re still seeing many families using

payment plans such as Edstart to help them smooth out their cash flow,” he said.

Edstart chief executive Jack Stevens said many families were seeking out finance to manage paying the fees.

Association of Independent Schools NSW chief executive Dr Geoff Newcombe said principals thought very carefully about increasing fees but said it was often necessitated by staffing costs.

“There are parents who work three jobs to keep their children at one of those schools… Schools are very aware of the pressures on parents,” he said.

“There is a direct relationship between decisions schools have made between fees and salary increases.”

Australian Tutoring Association president Mohan Dhall. Picture: Brett Costello

He said while it was common for grandparents to help fund school fees a few years ago, that money had dried up because low interest rates had reduced their earnings from retirement savings.

“I think the situation of grandparents paying fees has dropped off enormously because of the fact that we have such low interest rates and the retirement income of many grandparents has been severely affected.”

Australian Tutoring Association president Mohan Dhall said at the most expensive private schools there was a wealthy group of parents who would have no problem with a price hike, but warned there would be a cohort of working parents who would struggle to cough up the extra money this year.

“It seems to me almost unjustifiable when a lot of people have had wage cuts and wage freezes,” he said.

“There are some families who charter their own planes, but the problem is the cohort below that who are the full time working mums or dads, for them it becomes difficult.”