What it costs to send a child to school in 2023

After rising food and petrol prices, interest rate hikes and Christmas, the mounting cost of sending kids back to school is set to slam families.

Asher and Isla Papadopoulos decked out in their new school uniforms Picture: Tony Gough

BACK-to-school costs are mounting for Victorian families, who are expected to spend an average of $944 per child in 2023.

The cost of buying school supplies and uniforms has increased by $23 – or 3 per cent – since last year, according to data from YouGov’s Annual Back to School Research Report, commissioned by Big W.

The research, based on 1030 parents, found the vast majority (97 per cent) were replacing 10 items on average per child during a year.

The most commonly replaced items were school shoes (83 per cent), school uniform items (80 per cent), drink bottles (64 per cent) and lunch boxes (53 per cent).

Uniforms are the priciest item, costing Aussie parents $288 for children in primary school and $326 for kids in secondary school, new data by comparative website Finder reveals.

Textbooks come in next at $137 and $268 for primary and secondary students respectively, while school shoes cost an average of $110 a year for all kids.

On top of supplies, tuition for Victorian primary school pupils costs a whopping $7967 on average for independent schools, $1666 for Catholic schools, and $303 for government schools.

Fees for Victorian secondary schools cost on average $8963 for independent schools, $6144 for Catholic schools and $730 for government schools.

Other hidden costs for which parents will be forced to fork out include transport to and from school, costing $512 for primary pupils and $610 for secondary students, and school camps, costing $312 and $443 respectively.

Devices such as laptops and tablets, while not used in all schools, also come at steep prices.

Parents can expect to pay $496 a year on devices in primary school, and $787 in secondary school, according to research from the Futurity Investment Group.

Finder’s personal finance expert Sarah Megginson said costs were particularly significant for families this year because of the cost-of-living crisis.

“With the cost of living continuing to skyrocket, many parents will struggle to afford the necessary supplies, clothing and technology for their children,” she said.

“Some families are forced to make difficult decisions about which supplies to buy and which to go without.

Lunch boxes are among the most commonly replaced items each school year.

“Many will reach breaking point as rising fuel and food costs, Christmas debt hangover and back-to-school costs collide.”

Ms Megginson urged parents to take advantage of back-to-school sales and source secondhand items.

“Start shopping early and look out for back-to-school sales,” she said. “This can save you hundreds of dollars over the year, especially on pricey items like laptops.

“Savvy families could save money by sourcing second-hand items, and you may be able to borrow or rent devices from the school.”

Mother of two Georgia Post said she expected to spend about $800 this year on school fees, textbooks and stationery for her children Asher Papadopoulos, 8, and Isla Papadopoulos, 4.

The Langwarrin mum said school costs were getting “more and more expensive” every year.

“Asher will be heading into grade 3 this year, and Isla will be starting prep,” she said. “This year we’re doing a bulk order at their school, where we pay around $400 per child for their ­tuition and school supplies.

“I prefer it this way ­because then we don’t have to stress.”

But Ms Post said parents were still required to fork out additional costs for uniforms.

“We usually purchase uniforms through the school, but for Isla, she’s quite little so we often have to get it tailored, which costs even more money,” she said.

“We always try to shop at Kmart or Target but you can’t always get the right colour or the item is sold out.”