School fees to hit $40k a year at Wesley
Parents have been warned senior fees at Wesley College will jump to more than 40,000 a year as the school grapples with the reality of the Andrews government’s payroll tax.
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Wesley College is the latest school to announce a fee increase of nearly seven per cent, due in part to a $15m payroll tax hit to the school’s bottom line.
The 6.75 per cent increase in fees for 2024 will bring senior fees over $40,000 for the first time,
Two years ago, the fees were $34,610 for year 12. Next year they will be $40,053.
Wesley College joins other schools such as Caulfield Grammar and Haileybury College to blame the tax for significant fee hikes.
Principal Nick Evans wrote to parents on Monday advising parents of the significant fee boost, which he attributed to the tax, six per cent inflation and reduced federal government funding of $2.4m in 2023 and 2024.
He said it was a “particularly challenging point in time”.
“We are dealing with three exceptional and significant budgetary impacts that necessarily affect our review of fees as we head into 2024,” he told parents.
“Together, these three factors result in substantial cost increases for the College – and for the education sector more broadly.
“Given these settings and following our review, the College Council have approved an overall increase in tuition fees and associated charges for 2024 of 6.75% for all year levels.”
He said the increase in costs was about eight per cent but the school had tried to absorb as much as it could through operational efficiencies.
Two other elite Victorian private schools have blamed the Andrews government’s controversial payroll tax for a school fee hike set to hit parents next year.
The Herald Sun can reveal Caulfield Grammar has increased some of its fees by 13 per cent, with tuition now costing $40,543 for year 12 students at the school’s secondary campuses in Caulfield and Wheelers Hill.
Haileybury College has also notified families of fee hikes next year, with a 5.5 per cent increase on ELC to year 12 tuition costs.
It comes after the Herald Sun revealed this week that Geelong Grammar had hiked its fees by 8 per cent – the biggest amount in years.
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