High school costs forcing indebted parents to work more
Australian families are rethinking whether to have more children and turning to others to pay tuition fees as school costs pile up.
A child starting school in 2026 will cost families in major cities $113,594 for public education, $247,174 for private school, and $369,594 to send them to an independent school for 13 years.
In regional and remote areas, families will pay $100,395 for state education, $223,874 for Catholic and $230,144 for independent schools.
The research, conducted by school finance group Futurity, takes tuition data from Australia’s curriculum authority and interviews 2,500 parents about their spending habits.
Melbourne tops the capital cities with $121,202 in state school costs, while regional and remote Queensland parents face the highest tuition bill of $108,647.
13 percent of public school fees are for metro and 5 percent are for regional costs; The remaining amount went to add-ons such as external lessons, transportation, school camps and uniforms.
Canberrans spend the most on Catholic education, while regional and remote Queenslanders pay the most at $273,494.
Independent schools are most expensive in Melbourne, costing $435,902, while Western Australia is the most expensive among regional and remote schools at $275,639.
Futurity’s Sarah McAdie said families valued education, with nine in 10 saying it was important for their child to succeed in life.
“(They) are willing to make sacrifices so that their children have access to the education that their parents choose and value for their children,” he told AAP.
But parents are increasingly looking for ways to save money by seeking out second-hand school uniforms, making laptops last longer, and spending less on musical instruments and camps.
A third of those surveyed said they were turning to credit debt, while others said they were taking fewer family holidays and working more to ensure their children received a quality education.
More than half said they rely on others, including grandparents, for their children’s education.
“Worryingly, 45 per cent of parents said they were considering having fewer children as a result of the cost of raising and educating children today,” Ms McAdie said.
Families are tightening their spending as concerns grow about fully funding Australia’s schools, according to the Australian Council of Public Schooling Bodies.
“When household budgets are under pressure, things like sports, camps and rehabs are the first things to be reduced,” interim president Peter Garrigan said.
The real test, he said, is whether each child can participate fully without money being a barrier, as parents turn to the “bank of grandparents” for help.
“The Australian community should be able to support everyone in doing this,” Mr Garrigan said.
According to the bureau of statistics, 63 percent of students in Australia are enrolled in public schools, 20 percent in Catholic schools and 17 percent in independent schools.
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