The low-fee private schools outperforming their rich rivals

Low- and mid-fee private schools are outperforming some of their more expensive rivals amid booming growth in Melbourne’s outer suburban independent schools.

Government data shows enrolments in independent schools have increased by up to 45 per cent over three years in some growth areas of Melbourne, a trend partly fuelled by demand for lower-fee schools.

Waverley Christian College principal Rod Ramsay (second from right) with (from left) head of secondary school Andrew Bawden and year 11 students Zoe Setiawan, Amy Conlon and Jonathan Tan. Credit: Chris Hopkins

Christian schools charging fees below $20,000 for year 12 feature prominently in some of the top-performing schools in 2024 VCE results. They include Oxley Christian College, Waverley Christian College, and St Andrew’s College, which all ranked in the top 50 schools based on median study scores and the rate of students who received subject scores over 40.

Catholic school Star of the Sea, which charges about $17,400 a year, also ranked in the top 50 schools, as did regional Goulburn Valley Grammar, which charges nearly $20,000 a year.

These schools outperformed multiple high-fee colleges charging parents between $35,000 and $52,000 a year, including Geelong Grammar, Ivanhoe Grammar, St Leonards College, Xavier College, Toorak College, Caulfield Grammar (Wheelers Hill), Wesley College, St Michael’s Grammar and Carey Baptist Grammar.

Waverley Christian College in Wantirna South is affiliated with Pentecostal church CityLife. It was among the highest-ranked schools with fees below $15,000, achieving a median study score of 34 and 18.5 per cent of study scores above 40.

Principal Rod Ramsay said the school’s VCE success came from its strong focus on literacy through all years of schooling. He said the school keeps fees as low as possible and does not have any academic admissions criteria, but at least one parent must be a practising Christian and regularly attend church.

“Families do get attracted to values-based education and Christian schools do provide that,” he said.

“Having a like-minded community is really important. Our families are incredibly supportive of the program that we offer and of course very supportive of the faith-based school that we are. When everyone is on the same page, you get to have a community that is like-minded and wants the same things.”

Islamic school Al-Taqwa College, in Truganina in Melbourne’s west, had the cheapest fees of non-government schools whose scores ranked in the top 100 schools. It charges about $3300 a year.

Mazenod College, in the south-east suburb of Mulgrave, was among the highest-ranked schools run by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, earning a median score of 33 and having 13.5 per cent of scores above 40.

This placed the school, which charges fees and levies of $10,390, above high-fee schools like Carey Baptist Grammar, St Michael’s Grammar, Wesley and Geelong Grammar.

Principal Paul Shannon said the boys’ school had over the past few years placed a particular focus on providing a holistic education to create a strong foundation for learning.

“Making sure they are cared for, they are respected, so we are shifting away from that authoritarian model of engaging with the boys to one that’s mutually relational,” he said.

Shannon said the school has 400 applicants for 280 spots for its 2027 intake. Students who attend local feeder Catholic schools are given priority.

Other high-performing Catholic schools included Iona College in Geelong, which charges $6440 and outranked the state’s highest-fee school, Geelong Grammar, which charges $52,000, as well as Wesley College, which charges more than $40,000.

Iona College achieved a median study score of 33, above Geelong Grammar’s 32 and Wesley College’s 32 (Melbourne campus) and 31 (Glen Waverley campus).

Data from the state government shows private school enrolments have grown significantly in many middle and outer suburban areas. These include Melton, Whittlesea, greater Dandenong and Wyndham, which have all increased independent school enrolments by between 20 and 45 per cent since 2021.

Demographer Simon Kuestenmacher said private schools, including those with high fees, remained sought after among aspirational families despite the cost-of-living crunch. An influx of Millennials into the outer suburbs would continue to fuel strong growth in those areas, especially for mid- to low-fee independent schools.

“The only place we are building new family-size dwellings at scale is the urban fringe,” Kuestenmacher said.

He said religious schools were gaining in popularity despite the population as a whole becoming less religious.

“To a degree, some are being viewed by many aspirational parents as cheap private schools.”

Independent Schools Australia chief executive Graham Catt said that contrary to some commentary, most private schools were affordable, with median annual fees of $5547.

“The latest data shows that nationally, schools with fees less than $7500 experienced enrolment growth of 5.4 per cent last year,” he said. “That growth is primarily driven by families in outer and inner suburban areas who, despite ongoing cost-of-living pressures, are choosing to make this critical investment in their children’s future.”

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