More than half of independent school parents in Australia are struggling to pay fees, even as sector enrolments hit a two-decade high.
According to a survey of 1,508 parents conducted by Independent Schools Australia, 75% had adjusted their household budget in the past year to remain in their chosen school. Twenty-eight per cent cut spending on essentials such as medicine, groceries and transport. One in five received financial assistance from extended family members.
These are taking place amid projections that private school fees will continue to rise faster than inflation.
The cost of going private
The national average cost of private schooling is around $8,973 per student per year. That figure includes additional fees and levies, according to data cited in an analysis by The Conversation, published 3 August 2026.
A full K–12 education at an independent school can exceed $100,000 per student.
State-level figures from 2024 show the variation:
- New South Wales: average Year 12 tuition at an independent school was $15,674
- Victoria: $20,923 for the same year level
Australian private school fees rank among the highest worldwide. Unlike most comparable nations, there is no regulatory cap on what non-government schools can charge.
Enrolments shifting away from the public sector
Independent school enrolments have reached a two-decade high. The share of Australian students attending independent schools rose from 13% in 2006 to 17% in 2025.
Over the same period, the share at public schools fell from 67% to 63%. Catholic school enrolments held steady at around 20%.
The funding picture helps explain the trend. Most public schools outside the Australian Capital Territory receive less than their entitlement under the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS), the federal benchmark for minimum per-student funding.
Recent reporting shows private schools are pulling further ahead as the funding gap widens. Public schools are not expected to reach full SRS funding until at least 2034, according to analysis by Save Our Schools.
What families say they would do differently
A separate Australia Institute poll surveyed 2,230 Australian adults. It asked parents with children in private schools whether better public school funding would change their choice.
- 38% said they would have enrolled their child in the public system
- 41% said they would remain in the private sector regardless
- 21% were undecided
The results suggest that for a significant share of private school families, the decision is not fixed. Better-resourced public schools could shift the balance.
The case for reform on private school fees
A two-year study interviewed 58 public school principals across every Australian state and territory. It found that parents are choosing schools based on infrastructure, facilities and extra-curricular programs. These are harder to match in the public sector.
That study was led by Dr Elisa Di Gregorio, lecturer at Adelaide University in South Australia, and Emma Rowe, associate professor in education at Deakin University in Victoria. They argue that without structural reform, the current system places disproportionate pressure on middle-income families. It also entrenches a two-tier system.
In their analysis for The Conversation, Di Gregorio and Rowe point to international models where fees are tied to public funding. In Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Belgium, tuition fees are either prohibited or regulated for schools that receive government funding.
Linking fee levels to funding entitlements, they suggest, could reduce costs and broaden access.
Fee-charging schools, regardless of fee level, are consistently linked to higher levels of school segregation. Advantaged students become concentrated in separate parts of the system. Australia already ranks among the most segregated school systems in the developed world.
Debate about how Australia could build a more equal school system has gained renewed urgency as the enrolment divide continues to widen.
Whether any government will move to regulate independent school fees remains unclear. For now, the data shows many families are absorbing the cost at considerable personal sacrifice.