Search the list: Parent incomes for every private school in Victoria
Ever wanted to see how much families earn at the state’s top private schools? Here’s a full list of the average income of families at every elite school in Victoria. Search now.
The Victorian school with the richest parents is Mount Scopus Memorial College, where the median family income is $380,000 — more than four times the average household.
The prestigious Jewish school charges fees of $43,000 in year 12 and receives around $5.5m a year in federal funding.
Despite the high profile and status of leading Victorian private schools, it’s the only Victorian school in the top 20 national list for parental earnings.
The top-performing school recently purchased a $195m parcel of Caulfield Racecourse which it plans to develop into a new adult education centre and Jewish community hub.
Mount Scopus is followed by Christ Church Grammar, Victoria’s only independent Anglican parish primary school and Catholic girls’ school Loreto Mandeville Hall, which both have median family incomes of $365,000.
Next on the rich list are iconic boys’ schools, Scotch College, which meanders over a 27ha site in Hawthorn and Melbourne Grammar, which dates back to 1858.
At both schools parents earn median family incomes of $355,000.
Next on the Victorian top ten are St Leonard’s College and St Michael’s Grammar (both $350,000), along with Lauriston Girls’ School and Melbourne Girls’ Grammar (both $345,000).
Rounding out the top ten are rival Catholic boys’ schools, Xavier College and St Kevin’s College, where parents earn a median family income of $335,000.
The family income data is used to calculate the $18b in school funding given to private schools by the federal government each year in addition to state funding.
In general terms, schools with wealthier parents get less federal funding.
The 2024 figures show the annual net median income of all private school parents in the country is $406m dollars.
But there is a wide gap between those on the top of the list and those at the bottom. Parents at the top 20 schools have a combined annual median income of $8.4m. Parents whose children attend the bottom 20 on the list of 2621 schools have a combined annual median income of $551,000, proving that private schools are not just for the wealthy.
The average median family income from the schools on the list is $159,496, which is well above the ABS household median income of $92,040.
In the national top 20, there are 17 NSW schools, one from Victoria and two from Western Australia.
The richest in the nation are SCEGGS Darlinghurst parents who have a median family income of $505,000 a year.
The prestigious school, which charges fees of almost $50,000 a year for year 12, is the only one in Australia with parents earning a median income of more than half a million dollars.
It receives $2.7m in federal funding a year.
Christian Schools Australia chief executive Dr Daniel Pampuch said many Christian school parents are low-to-middle-income earners.
“They are regular mum and dads wanting to provide the best opportunities they can for their kids.
As the cost of living keeps climbing, making ends meet isn’t easy,” he said.
“However, they continue to prioritise Christian education as their child’s learning and development comes first.”
Victorian Catholic Education Authority chief executive Professor Elizabeth Labone said the data shows that “Catholic schools are vibrant, welcoming communities that provide an affordable, high-quality, faith-based education to hard-working families across the state”.
“Hardworking families in Catholic schools receive $9,549 per student less in government funding support than families in government schools,” she said.
“This delivers massive savings to Victorian taxpayers.”
Independent Schools Australia chief executive Graham Catt said most independent school families are “ordinary hardworking Australians, 60% are from low and middle-income households, often working two jobs, and — especially as cost of living pressures continue — are making real sacrifices so their children can attend the school that’s right for them.”
“The stereotype that all independent school parents are wealthy is simply wrong and, for parents, upsetting and offensive,” he said.
“Independent schools receive an average of $13,080 per student in government funding, compared to $24,860 for public school students.
“Many students receive far less.
“Continued, stable, needs-based government funding is vital to ensure every student, in every community, gets the support they need, regardless of which school their parents choose,” Mr Gatt said.
Email us at education@news.com.au
Originally published as Search the list: Parent incomes for every private school in Victoria
