Fees at Sydney private schools hit almost $50,000 a year

Fees at some of Sydney’s private schools will hit almost $50,000 this year, as inflationary pressures, rising salaries and intense competition for teachers ramp up the costs of education.

At least 20 independent schools will charge parents more than $40,000 for year 12 tuition plus extra levies in 2024. Some of the highest-fee institutions plan to lift their fees by more than 10 per cent.

Independent Catholic school Kincoppal-Rose Bay will lift fees for year 12 to $43,168 in 2024.Credit: Louise Kennerley

Three weeks before the start of the 2024 academic year, however, some private schools, including Kambala in Rose Bay, have yet to issue fee advice to parents. This has prompted speculation that the $50,000 barrier could still be topped this year.

In a letter to parents, Kincoppal-Rose Bay’s council chair, Mark Sinclair, said the school had “not been immune” to rising costs for transport, technology, energy, insurance and maintenance. “These increases have also come at a time when government funding to the school is being reduced,” he wrote.

The independent all-girls Catholic school will lift fees by 11 per cent next year to $43,168 for final year students. Fees for The Scots College will rise to $48,630 for year 12, while at SCEGGS Darlinghurst tuition fees and levies will be $47,296. Ascham will lift fees by 5 per cent to $45,060.

At all-boys schools Shore and Cranbrook fees will also rise 11 per cent, to a total of $44,510 and $46,500 respectively. In early December, the secretary of Shore’s governing council, Martin Thomas, told parents the school had to balance “overseeing expenses and maintaining school facilities”, while also remaining “competitive in a tight market for quality teaching and support staff”.

Many boards have pointed to higher operational costs, as schools lift teacher salaries up to 8 to 12 per cent to match public-sector increases introduced in October.

At Kincoppal, Sinclair said increases to public teacher salaries had “intensified competition for top teaching talent among all schools”, including across the independent sector.

“In the next year, we will embark on exciting infrastructure projects that will … enhance the physical environment of our school but also contribute to the overall academic, emotional, physical and spiritual development of our students,” Sinclair said.

Across the independent school sector, fee rises are expected to range between 5 and 15 per cent.

At co-ed Rosebank College in Five Dock charges will increase 13 per cent to $12,884, and at William Clarke College in Kellyville fees will rise 15 per cent to $5700.

Real estate agent Tam Orr sent both her daughters, Zoe and Zara, to Pymble Ladies’ College – and has no gripes with the school’s fee increase of 8 per cent this year.

“We’re of the mindset that it’s worth it,” she said.

The school also appealed to her husband Phillip, who works alongside his wife as a real estate agent, for its strong academic track record and HSC performance, while she liked the extracurricular activities on offer.

“It is not just academics, we felt it was a very balanced program; it was literally world-class facilities,” she said.

Tam Orr (centre) with her daughters Zoe and Zara at their Pymble home.Credit: Louise Kennerley

Private schools are also managing the loss of millions of dollars in government money, with changes to funding levels adjusted under the Schooling Resource Standard which calculates how much government support the schools receive after parental income is considered. Those cuts are being phased in before 2029.

Association of Independent Schools NSW chief executive Margery Evans said the median tuition fee at a NSW private school was less than $5500. “More than 70 private schools are factoring in government funding cuts due to changes introduced by the previous Liberal government or rises in their direct measure of income score.”

“Schools, along with many other organisations, have been significantly impacted by the increases in operational costs, including salaries and IT costs such as cybersecurity. Salaries represent 70 per cent of schools’ costs,” Evans said.

The multi-enterprise agreement (MEA) governing teachers’ salaries at 185 private schools has entry-level pay at $86,600, rising to $122,700 for band 3 teachers. Bargaining for the next enterprise agreement is due to begin next year.

Shore has previously said it pays 16 per cent above the multi-enterprise agreement, while Newington pays about 14 per cent above.

The Scots College in Bellevue Hill will lift fees for year 12 by 5 per cent to $48,630 including levies.Credit: Louise Kennerley

In a letter to staff in late November, The King’s School headmaster Tony George said the school was “experiencing the most significant disruption to teaching salaries in the past 50 years” as a result of rises across the public school system.

He said the school pays a “King’s premium” of 14 per cent above the MEA rate, which in part is due to teachers having “mandatory commitments to co-curricular activities.”

The King’s School fees will be $45,120 for year 12.Credit: Wolter Peeters

“This is a temporary situation … To remain competitive in attracting and retaining talent, independent schools will seek to maintain their positions as employers of choice by setting salaries at a level that ensures the sector attracts and retains the highest calibre of staff,” George said. Teacher salaries at the school range from $98,000 to $140,000.

Education lending group EdStart, which provides a financial payment management service to schools and loans to parents for school tuition, said it was now managing fees at 775 schools across Australia via its payment plan and fee-management service products.

EdStart chief executive Jack Stevens said: “We’re seeing larger fee increases in 2024 compared to previous years which has been largely driven by a higher cost base for schools including wages, building, maintenance and insurance.”

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