Catholic education eclipses $270,000 from prep to year 12, finds report
A new report has found that small costs accumulated over the course of the school year make education in Brisbane one of the most expensive in the country.
Catholic schools in Brisbane have become the country’s most expensive on average over a student’s 13 years, eclipsing other capital cities.
That’s according to a report by education bond company Futurity Investment Group, which said it will cost families more than $270,000 to send a child to school from prep to grade 12 starting this year.
The report, completed by Resolve Strategic, detailed costs for tuition fees, needs and popular attendance costs such as coaching and extracurriculars, using survey responses from 2500 families and school income data from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.
Dom Woodall has five children who attend different Catholic schools in Brisbane.
Woodall said she chose St Laurence’s College for her eldest child, Zaeyan, because of its proximity to gymnastics classes at Brisbane Grammar School.
“He was training 26 hours a week, [and] “He was going to take the bus,” he said.
Their other children, three of whom were kinship caregivers, went to Our Lady’s College, Stuartholme School, Saint Edmunds College in Ipswich and Mary Immaculate Primary School.
“All but the oldest [Zaeyan]Woodall said that they were involved in sports at school every semester.
“Stuartholme has sports and extracurricular fees, but these are low and affordable… [at the other schools] Sports are included in the fees as long as there is no competition.”
The report estimates that a family whose child will begin a Catholic education in 2026 could pay $9,860 for the year; optional costs (including external coaching and tutoring, electives, school camps and musical instruments) account for about 44 percent of the annual total.
But he calculated that school fees would be a family’s biggest expense.
Families with children starting a Catholic school this year can expect to pay an average of $200 more than a Catholic school in Melbourne and up to $829 more than a Catholic school in Sydney.
However, Brisbane’s highest total Catholic school fees are significantly below other eastern mainland capitals. Brisbane’s most expensive Catholic school in 2026, Stuartholme, will be at least $10,000 cheaper for a Year 12 student than the most expensive schools in Sydney and Melbourne.
Catholic Education Queensland Limited chief executive Allan Blagaich said school costs varied widely across Brisbane.
“There is a strong focus in Catholic schools on keeping fees as low as possible,” he said.
“Catholic schools are not fully funded by the government, and parents’ contributions help bridge the gap between public funding and the true cost of providing an education.”
The report estimates that 13 years of independent education in Brisbane could cost up to $423,378.
A parent in a public school can still pay up to $120,486 for their child’s education; however, the report estimates that only 8 percent of the total cost will be paid to the school for mandatory fees and voluntary add-ons such as the student resource plan.
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