Somerset College, TSS, St Hilda’s, A.B. Paterson, Emmanuel College increase 2025 school fees

Parents at the Gold Coast’s top performing - and highest earning - schools could be in for a New Year bill shock, with some facing fee increases of more than 13 per cent.

Parents at the Gold Coast’s top performing schools could be in for a New Year bill shock, with some facing fee increases close to 13 per cent.

Newly-released fee schedules show families with students at schools ranked among the top five based on NAPLAN testing face widely different increases – with more money not necessarily equating to the best results.

Somerset College families face the highest percentage increase among the top five, with their fees for Prep-Year 12 going up an average 12.8 per cent, with the school’s pre-prep fees climbing by 19.2 per cent to $13,384 per year.

Somerset College, Gold Coast. Photo: Luke Ballard

St Hilda’s School has a blanket 7.5 per cent average increase from prep to Year 12, with pre-prep fees rising $10 per day - a nine per cent hike.

TSS students are looking at an average increase of 7 per cent for prep to Year 12, while Emmanuel College and A.B. Paterson College each have a blanket 6 per cent hike.

The Southport School remains the priciest school of the top performers - and on the Gold Coast overall - at an average $25,524 per student between prep and Year 12.

Families of the TSS class of 2025 will have to find $1942 more than the current crop of graduates, with fees rising to $29,694 for the three terms of their final year.

Emmanuel College offers the best bang for your buck with the lowest percentage fee increase at six per cent, lowest upfront costs for new students and lowest average annual fees at $12,914, while still punching above its weight in NAPLAN tests.

All of the top 5 schools offer a discount for second and subsequent siblings who enrol, while all but Emmanuel give further discounts to parents able to pay in full early in the year.

Meanwhile, analysis of the schools’ financial information further shows bigger incomes do not guarantee the best results.

TSS reported gross income of $55.9m in 2023, but its students ranked fourth out of the five for Year 5 testing. TSS took top spot for Year 9 results.

Second-highest earner Somerset College, which reported $48.7m, ranked top for Year 9 NAPLAN results but fifth for Year 5.

St Hilda’s, with revenue of $36.3m, ranked third for Year 5 and fifth for Year 9 results.

Parents at Somerset were shocked last month by the unexpectedly sharp fee increase, revealed to them after the bell on the last day of the school year.

The college this week began advertising to hire a brand and communications officer, “from $75,000 per year plus superannuation”.

According to the ad, the role will be responsible for developing “cohesive and compelling messaging across all platforms, enhancing brand identity, reputation and audience engagement”.

The advertisement came after high-profile chairman Tony Hickey denied “baseless” claims of potential conflicts of interest involving his family company and the school’s $30 million building program.