Boarding school: Why families invest in private education
Prices vary by school, but the median fee in Victoria for a Year 12 boarder is more than $60,000. So, why do families choose to spend big on private education? Parents and students explain.
Ask any Year 12 student to describe the most valuable part of their school experience, and they’ll give a different answer.
For 17-year-old Gippsland Grammar school captain Connor Hare, outdoor camps in Year 9 and overseas trips in Year 10 have been some of the most memorable learning experiences of his education so far.
For his fellow school captain Kate Finlay, however, cultural arts have been the highlight.
Melbourne Grammar School Year 12 boarding student Jun Kim says academic challenge has been most important – and set him up for a career in dentistry.
St Paul’s Anglican Grammar student Imogen Turecek says her school’s elite sports performers program has been critical to pursuing her professional dance dreams.
Parents, on the other hand, consistently use the same word when describing why they choose private education: “opportunities”.
PARENTS’ PERSPECTIVE
“It is ever changing, the different experiences and value they are getting from it,” says mum-of-four Cath Jenkins, whose oldest two daughters board at Ballarat Grammar.
“The experiences you have at school, the friends that you make, the different information you are exposed to, the facilities, the sporting teams, the camps, the extra-curricular stuff that the school gets you involved with … they are the things I look back on,” she says.
“Although the girls are doing different things at school than I did. They are the memories they will have.
“You don’t really know the true value until you are older.”
Cath and her husband run a free-range egg operation at South Purrumbete, near Cobden. Their daughters, Lily, in Year 12, and Poppy, Year 10, are thriving at the co-ed school, trying new things such as rowing, hockey and international networking programs.
“Because we live in a rural community and we have a farming lifestyle, it has meant that they have access to more opportunities than we would have been able to provide for them,” Cath says.
“The boarding has meant those girls could have those opportunities right there.”
Libby and Poppy are two of the 361,997 children in Victoria who attend independent and Catholic schools – 36 per cent of the state’s one million pupils in primary and secondary years.
For a Year 12 student attending a boarding school in the garden state, the average combined tuition and boarding fees are more than $54,000 a year.
It is a hefty price tag, and families should expect a significant return.
Cath says value for money was an important factor for the family, which is one reason they chose a school in Ballarat, rather than Melbourne.
She says the breadth of curricular and extra-curricular options were the most important factors, while amazing academic results came second.
“Knowing our girls, we knew that they’d achieve more academically if they had that more well-rounded education and experience,” Cath says.
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
While “opportunities” is a catch-all idea that many parents buy into, some still insist academic attainment tops their list of expected outcomes.
Mum-of-four Sharon Mekken, from Newmerella near Orbost, has sent all her children to Gippsland Grammar. Her oldest, Cameron, graduated in 2019 and is in his second year of a medical degree at Monash University, after being accepted for direct-entry.
Cameron’s younger siblings – Josh, Year 12, Stella, Year 9, and Libby, Year 7 – are all full-time boarders.
“We were looking for a school with a record of academic excellence to help Cameron achieve where he wanted to go,” Sharon says. “We felt he needed to be at a school that had a big enough cohort – you need that competition with other kids.
“For Cameron, the driving force was looking for a school with academic excellence, but I’d say we found so much more.”
She says little things, such as supportive boarding staff who are happy to drive Libby to weekly Girl Guides meetings, and multiple leadership opportunities, have become part of her measure of educational success.
“I think the friendships they have made are really important,” she says.
“Stella has just come back from an Alpine hike, for example, that was four days in the Alpine National Park. I think that is resilience building and character building.
“Those little things can make a difference,” she says.
INDIVIDUAL APPROACH
Natalie Wischer, from Yea, in central Victoria, places high value on a school’s ability to support her children’s unique – and quite different – interests.
Natalie’s oldest son, Lachlan, graduated from Ballarat Grammar two years ago, and is studying law. Younger son, Oliver, is a Year 11 boarder.
“Oliver is creative and enjoys artistic graphic design,” Natalie says. “He has found a really supportive environment, and the teachers are very encouraging of his interests.
“I think my ethos around life is having a happy, well-adjusted good citizen of a child. If they come out being able to do what they want to do, and feel well supported to do that, that is another good outcome.”
She says the pastoral care within the boarding community and focus on service are strong points that have helped her boys make the most of their schooling. She also values the coeducational environment.
“My husband and I both went to single-sex schools, and we have been delighted with the benefits of coeducation for our boys,” she says.
She says they gave their sons the option to go a local high school near Yea, or attend boarding school.
“In the end, boarding seemed a good fit for them in terms of what they wanted,” she says. “As a boarder they have 60 other boys to be with after school. They were also keen to have an environment where they learnt and had opportunities to explore different careers and interests.”
And that opportunity is certainly not lost on the students.
Gippsland Grammar’s Kate Finlay says the broad range of extra-curricular opportunities on offer “greatly enhances our overall school and learning experience”.
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