The Sydney private school charging more than $50,000 for year 9

Fees for an eastern suburbs girls’ school have eclipsed $50,000 for the first time, making it the most expensive school in the country.

Kambala in Rose Bay issued parents with its 2024 fee schedule on Wednesday. A parent of a child in years 9 or 10 will pay $51,385 this year, comprising $45,200 in fees and a compulsory levy of $6185.

Parents must now find more than $50,000 a year to send their child to Kambala School in Rose Bay.Credit: Nick Moir

The biggest jump, however, was for kindergarten parents after fees and levies rose by almost 20 per cent to $31,400 this year.

Students in year 11 and 12 pay a slightly lower annual levy than in years 9 and 10, with fees and charges totalling $49,825 for each of the final two years of school.

The $6185 levy in year 9 covers the cost of attending a cultural immersion camp in Cape York, while in year 10, the annual fee includes a trip to Tasmania. Unlike some other schools, the levies include all activities throughout the year.

The information sent to parents noted the cost of their child’s education was borne primarily by parents.

“The Commonwealth government and NSW government contributes an average of $3891 per student for Kambala girls in kindergarten to year 12,” it said.

At least 20 independent schools will charge parents more than $40,000 for year 12 tuition plus extra levies in 2024.

Numerous school boards and principals have said a historic pay rise for public school teachers has meant they have had to increase teachers’ salaries.

Additionally, many high-fee private schools have seen a reduction in funding after the introduction of a new national system to calculate how much families can afford to contribute to private school fees.

Over the decade to 2020, private school fees rose by 50 per cent on average across the country, far outstripping inflation at 22 per cent and wage growth at 29 per cent, a 2022 analysis by the Blueprint Institute found.

After Kambala, The Scots College in Bellevue Hill is the second most expensive school in Sydney. Its fees fall just short of King Charles’ alma mater, Geelong Grammar, which will charge $49,720 for tuition in 2024.

Other schools charging more than $45,000 for year 12 in 2024 include Cranbrook School in Bellevue Hill, SCEGGS Darlinghurst, Ascham in Edgecliff and the King’s School in North Parramatta.

Geelong Grammar is the second most expensive school in the country.Credit: Vince Caligiuri

Kambala is not academically selective. For the past three years, it has placed among the top 25 school in the state for HSC performance and also offers the International Baccalaureate program.

In NAPLAN testing last year, the school performed above statistically similar schools in almost all categories of literacy and numeracy testing in years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It sits on the 97th percentile on the index of community socio-educational advantage.

A Kambala spokeswoman said it had increased teacher salaries by 7.5 per cent following the public teacher wage rise last year in a bid to retain staff.

“In line with that, the council has increased the 2024 tuition and boarding fees by 7.5 per cent,” she said.

“Kambala seeks to balance tuition and boarding fees with the need to deliver academic and personal excellence for all our students. We remain conscious of the impact that any increase in fees has on our families, and we have worked hard to minimise the increase.”

Association of Independent Schools of NSW chief executive Margery Evans said schools were sensitive to parents’ financial situations, but higher fees were driven by rising costs and government cuts to private school funding. Despite the hikes, demand for places was still strong.

“Enrolment growth has averaged more than 6000 per year over the past five years, making it the fastest growing school sector in NSW,” she said. “Many independent schools have long waiting lists because enrolment caps limit the number of students they are allowed to enrol.”

NSW Parents’ Council president Rose Cantali, whose organisation represents parents of children at independent schools, said parents across the board were struggling with years of sharp fee hikes and higher mortgage repayments.

Kambala in Rose Bay will charge more than $50,000 this year.Credit: Fairfax

“I understand the school’s point of view, but when parents signed up they were not expecting such a hike in fees. Now with the unexpected mortgage repayments, that’s making it difficult for them – it is putting them in a corner because they don’t know where to turn,” she said.

Parents were very reluctant to pull their child out of a school because of the disruption it would cause to their friendship circles and education, she added.

“I think schools have to make some sort of [financial] allowance for students who are already in school.”

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