Revealed: The astonishing multibillion-dollar net worth of Australia’s Top 100 Private Schools

Blue-chip private schools are sitting on massive war chests of property and investments that can reach hundreds of millions of dollars. See the full list for our top 100 schools.

• Australia’s top 100 private schools

The nation’s elite private schools are sitting on a collective $12 billion war chest – with some individual schools boasting assets of almost half a billion dollars.

Analysis by News Corp reveals the country’s Top 100 Private Schools have total assets worth more than the bottom 1000 combined.

Leading the pack is Sydney’s Shore School, which has an eye-watering $426m in total assets.

The school, which is spread across expansive North Shore and Northbridge campuses, sports a mix of historic and modern buildings on highly valued land. Shore declined to comment when approached by News Corp.

Private girls college Abbotsleigh in Sydney is the second wealthiest of the schools surveyed, with total assets adding up to $350m.

Cashed-up colleges ranked in Australia's Top 100 Private Schools list. Clockwise from top left: Shore School, Prince Alfred College, Stuartholme School, Newington College, Seymour College, The Scots College.

Melbourne Grammar School is Victoria’s richest school with total assets of $323m.

Queensland campuses Clayfield College, Brisbane Boys’ College and Somerville House, all part of the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association, have $735m in combined assets.

Immanuel College heads the list as South Australia’s richest school, with $146m in total assets – although data was not available for the sprawling St Peter’s College.

The Friends’ School is Tasmania’s wealthiest with $120m and in the Northern Territory, Marrara Christian College – also one of a group of six schools – has $66m overall.

SEE THE FULL RANKINGS: Australia’s Top 100 Private Schools

Land, capital infrastructure and donations from philanthropic sources account for much of the wealth of private schools, according to Deakin University Associate Professor Emma Rowe.

“It’s a very lucrative environment for private schools where they’re essentially rolling in cash,” she said.

Prof Rowe highlighted a “huge gulf” between the wealthiest schools and others that are “struggling for basic infrastructure”.

Independent Schools Australia chief executive Graham Catt.

Independent Schools Australia chief executive Graham Catt said a school’s assets were “not excess cash sitting in a bank”.

“When you see a big asset figure, you’re really seeing the classrooms, sports fields and libraries built by generations of families and alumni,” Mr Catt said.

He argued a school “with a $400m asset base isn’t ‘rich’” as land had risen in value.

“It’s educating students on land that’s been used to educate students for over 100 years,” Mr Catt said.

“Independent schools don’t get much in the way of government capital grants, so in most cases every building and facility is funded by the school community.

“Families choosing independent schools already pay their taxes for public schools, then pay again to build and maintain their own.”

Where does the money go?

Victoria

Victoria has a plethora of top-drawer schools with lavish grounds, impressive heritage buildings and cutting-edge facilities.

One of the most magnificent is Scotch College in Hawthorn, which is spread out on a grand 27-hectare riverside campus. Sporting features include five main ovals, two multipurpose playing fields, 26 tennis courts, an indoor swimming pool, gymnasium and rowing facilities. There’s also the world-class Sir Zelman Cowen Centre for Science which cost $32m.

Scotch College in Melbourne’s Sir Zelman Cowen Centre for Science.

Geelong Grammar is another Top 100 school with spectacular grounds spread across 550 hectares at Timbertop and Corio, including an indoor equestrian centre, state-of-the art wellness centre, multimedia facilities, stables, a vineyard and even a fully functioning farm.

Other top facilities include the $85m swimming and sports complex at Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Burwood and a $25m Aquatic and Wellbeing Centre at Caulfield Grammar’s St Kilda East campus.

New South Wales

The Scots College in Sydney recently attracted national attention by spending $60m to renovate its library into a Scottish Baronial-style castle.

The new John Cunningham Student Centre is billed as a “distinctly Scottish building for a school that draws its inspiration and heritage from Scotland”.

The Scots College in Sydney spent $60m to create this “distinctly Scottish" student centre that resembles a castle.

In recent years Cranbrook has undergone a $125m revamp including a theatre, 25 classrooms, a double-height orchestra room, a 267-seat theatre, a chapel, an indoor Olympic-sized pool and a gymnasium.

Other recent NSW upgrades include a $33m seven-storey innovation centre at Loreto Kirribilli, which is part of the school’s $100m campus transformation, and Trinity Grammar’s $127m six-stage major development at its Summer Hill campus.

Sydney Grammar is spending $40m on its Weigall sports centre and Barker College is spending $150m upgrading its Hornsby campus to include centres for sports and performing arts.

Queensland

Most of the Queensland schools on the Top 100 list boast extensive facilities, including Anglican Church Grammar School, which has 10 sports fields, three heated pools, seven tennis courts and a rowing facility that overlooks the Brisbane River. There’s also a state-of-the art library with 10 study rooms, two outdoor learning areas, a 250-seat lecture theatre and two cafes.

Brisbane Girls’ Grammar has come a long way since it opened in 1884, and now boasts a $17.4m Research Learning Centre with more than 55,000 resources and the $25m, six-level Cherrell Hirst Creative Learning Centre.
Another leading institution is The Southport School on the Gold Coast. Despite the balmy climate, it sports two heated pools, nine playing fields and indoor gymnasium.

Brisbane Boys College in Toowong.

Brisbane Boys’ College, a heritage-listed school, also has some impressive sporting facilities, including a large indoor sports complex, a state-of-the art gymnastics hall, playing fields, tennis courts and a heated swimming pool.

The school’s new master plan identifies more than 40 projects to be completed by 2050 including new prototype classrooms to take learning into the future.

South Australia

In recent years, many historic and prestigious schools in Adelaide have undergone significant upgrades.

These include Westminster School in Adelaide, which recently unveiled a $5.6m world-class agriculture learning facility, the Thomas Foods International Centre for Agriculture.

Westminster recently revealed plans for a $25m upgrade for its junior primary students including a new two-storey building and an expansive forest-like playground.

Scotch College in Adelaide. Picture: Matt Loxton

Scotch College, which already enjoys magnificent grounds, spent more than $27m on the Purruna Spencer Newton Centre, which included a 25m pool, indoor courts, flexible classroom facilities, collaborative workspaces, consultation rooms, and a high-performance gym. The facilities are also used by the YMCA and general public.

Data was not available for one school widely considered to be one of the state’s wealthiest, St Peter’s College, while their great rivals at Prince Alfred College had assets listed at $122m in 2023.

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Originally published as Revealed: The astonishing multibillion-dollar net worth of Australia’s Top 100 Private Schools