Revealed: Full cost of R-12 education at top Adelaide private schools

What will 13 years of education at Adelaide’s most elite schools set you back? We’ve done the maths so you don’t have to. See the full list.

Parents face a bill of almost $350,000 to put a child through 13 years of education at Adelaide’s top private schools.

The Advertiser has analysed the minimum compulsory costs to send a child to 23 Adelaide Catholic or independent schools from reception to year 12.

St Peter’s College, in St Peter’s, topped the list at $349,620, followed by Pembroke School in Kensington Park at $348,570.

The costs were calculated based on 2025 fees published online by schools and would likely be higher when inflation and fee increases are factored in each year until graduation.

There were another three schools – St Peter’s Girls School, Seymour College and Prince Alfred College – where an R-12 education would cost more than $340,000, based on today’s prices.

The cheapest option among the schools analysed was $97,450 for an R-12 education at St Mary’s College in the CBD.

The cost of 13 years of schooling there has reduced from when The Advertiser last analysed fees in 2023 ($99,975).

One other campus, Woodcroft College in Morphett Vale, also posted a reduction in total costs from $113,020 in 2023 to $106,900 based on this year’s fees.

The percentage increase in total cost for 13 years of education grew across all other campuses by between 3.5 per cent at Blackfriars Priory School, in Prospect, and 14.7 per cent at St Michael’s College, which has campuses in Beverley and Henley Beach.

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For Tonia and Mark Annese, sending their two boys Thomas, 19, and James, 16, to Christian Brothers College in Adelaide’s CBD was worth some sacrifice.

“For a parent, your duty is to give your children the best start in life,” said Ms Annese, 50, from Royston Park.

“You’ve got one chance to get it right.”

Mr Annese and Ms Annese’s brothers also attended CBC which, in today’s money costs $106,415 for reception to year 12.

Mark Annese with sons James, 16, and Thomas, 19, and wife Tonia at their home in Royston Park. Picture: Ben Clark

Ms Annese, senior manager at a family-run bridal business, said for the last four years the family “could not organise any overseas trips”.

“We’ve had to put that on hold until James finishes year 12,” she said.

But the family would “do it all again”.

“The one major thing you get for your investment is you get a sense of brotherhood that you can’t pay for,” Ms Annese said.

FULL LIST: SA’S CHEAPEST PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Catholic Education SA executive director Dr Neil McGoran said its schools “remain committed to keeping school fees as low as possible to ensure a Catholic education is affordable and accessible for all”.

“Investing in your child’s education is money well spent because a quality education not only sets up a child for success in life, bit also it helps create a better future for us all,” he said.

Association of Independent Schools of SA chief executive Anne Dunstan said school leaders were “fully understanding (of) the financial commitment parents make to provide their children with a high-quality education”.

“These families often make significant sacrifices to ensure their children can attend a school that aligns with their values and aspirations,” she said.

“All schools face the same economic pressures as other organisations and households, including rising inflation, utility costs, and operational expenses,” she said.

Originally published as Revealed: Full cost of R-12 education at top Adelaide private schools