Sydney private school fees near $55,000 at The Scots College, SCEGGS Darlinghurst
Fees for some private schools in Sydney will reach almost $55,000 this year as institutions upgrade aquatic centres, increase teacher salaries and grapple with dwindling government funding.
At least 20 private schools in Sydney will outpace inflation by raising fees by 5 per cent or more this year. reporter Analysis of 32 schools in Sydney reveals.
Sydney’s most expensive school Herald’s The analysis now belongs to Scots College after tuition fees increased by 6.5 per cent, with the bill reaching $54,822 for a Year 12 student. If there are 200 days in a school year, that means parents pay about $270 for each day of school.
Principal Dr Ian Lambert told parents that increased staff salaries and other additional expenses, such as providing paid parental leave for fathers, were driving up costs.
“Personnel and related employment costs (the University’s largest expense) account for approximately 70 percent of total expenses,” he said in a note to parents.
“We continue to invest in facilities and infrastructure that enhance student learning and wellbeing. Work on the redevelopment of aquatic facilities in Scotland is ongoing and completion is planned for January 2027.”
Tuition fees at Sydney Grammar, Trinity Grammar and Cranbrook have risen by at least 6 per cent this year to more than $50,000, outpacing the consumer price index of 3.4 per cent.
Not all schools have released their 2026 fee schedules. Many schools charge tech tax and other extras on top of tuition fees; This further increases the bill sent to parents at the end of each term.
The most expensive school in the country is Geelong Grammar in Victoria. In 2026, the Corio campus charges $55,380 for “day lodging,” while the Timbertop campus, once attended by King Charles, has fees set at $93,840 for tuition and boarding.
The most expensive girls’ school in NSW is SCEGGS Darlinghurst, which has increased fees by more than 6 per cent, bringing the cost of 12 years of education to $52,806.
“The board was aware that many families were facing their own cost-of-living pressures and accordingly the fee increase needed to be reasonable,” said a letter from outgoing principal Jenny Allum and SCEGGS chair Sally Auld last December.
Staff salary increases set for 2026 will help attract the highest quality teachers, the letter said. It was also stated that the cost of many goods and services used by the school continues to lag behind inflation.
Kambala, the country’s most expensive school in 2024, had one of the lowest fee increases at around 2 percent. The annual tax has not yet been published but is expected to be around $3000 in 2026.
In Sydney’s west, St Paul’s Grammar had among the biggest increases of all schools, at 7.5 per cent.
Principal Ian Wake said changes to the government’s funding system, which is being phased in from 2020 to measure the average income of parents using tax office data and changes funding accordingly, meant schools like his were constantly losing money.
“We lose state funding every year, which means we have to raise wages more than we would like,” Wake said.
“This all sounds good, but what happens is that schools in our situation get less funding and so we have to increase fees.
“And that means some families who can’t afford the fees can’t access school, so our average income goes up even more and we lose more funding.
“This is difficult for us as we are committed to keeping our fees as affordable as possible for a wide range of families.”
Loreto Kirribilli director Dr. Nicole Archard said the decision to increase fees by 6 percent to $37,270 was considered important factors affecting the financial sustainability of the school next year.
“The pay rise in 2026 will enable us to continue to retain and attract excellent teachers amidst an ongoing national teacher shortage and to improve our facilities amid reduced government funding, which will continue until 2029,” he said.
Independent Schools NSW chief executive Margery Evans said all schools were aware of the financial pressures families faced and were keeping fee increases to an absolute minimum.
He said salaries make up more than 70 percent of operating costs in independent schools, adding that teacher salaries have increased between 5 and 12 percent this year and will increase another 8.5 percent in the next two years.
“The schools you have highlighted represent less than 10 per cent of the independent sector. They educate students from the highest income families and therefore receive the least government funding. Parents’ wages are therefore the primary source of their income.”
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Emily Kowal is the education correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
