We’re lucky to have excellent public and private schooling systems in Australia. For those who choose to go private, the regular school fees can have you forking out tens of thousands of dollars every year.
But while many are used to paying a hefty fee for school tuition, you may be taken aback by what some parents are willing to pay to send their children to Australia’s most prestigious private schools.
Check out our list of the country's top 10 most expensive private schools.
On this page:
Below are the top 10 private schools in Australia, ranked in terms of annual fees (excluding extra levies) for a year-12 day student. The fee data in this list is provided by various sources including Futurity Investment Group, news articles, Wikipedia and information from the individual schools’ websites.
Click the links below to skip to each one:
Geelong Grammar School (GGS) officially takes the cake for Australia’s most expensive private school, with annual tuition fees for Year 12 students reaching over $52,000, or more than $1,000 per week! The school is situated on the edge of Corio Bay and is spread across four campuses and 245 hectares of land; it also boasts more than 400 staff members and 1,400 students (boys and girls), of which more than 800 are boarders.
Well-known past students:
Cranbrook School is the second most expensive private school in Australia, but the most expensive private school in New South Wales. Established in July 1918, Cranbrook School offers a balanced, high standard of education for boys from pre-school all the way through to year 12. It has previously been an all-boys school, but as of 2026, it will begin welcoming girls for years 7 and 11.
The school offers students various extracurricular activities and encourages participation in educational and co-curricular endeavours.
Well-known past students:
Sydney Grammar School is one of the country’s oldest educational institutions, having been founded in 1830 by its predecessor Sydney Public Grammar School. The school is spread over three separate campuses: the Edgecliff campus for Kindergarten to Year 6, the St Ives campus, which is also home to Preschool to Year 6, and the College St. campus for high school students.
The school charges a $8,202 entrance fee on application and also offers a generous selection of scholarships for students to apply for.
Well-known past students:
The Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar School (SCEGGS) is known for producing top performing students, and will set year 12 parents back over $49,000 annually. SCEGGS was established in 1895, making it one of the country’s oldest institutions.
While it offers boarding for students, it's predominantly a day school and is recognised worldwide for its academic excellence. SCEGGS offers education from Kindergarten to Year 12 and relies on a trust fund (funded by parents and the wider community) to maintain the school’s independence.
Well-known past students:
Kambala is a private early learning, primary, and secondary day and boarding school for girls, located in Rose Bay, New South Wales, Australia.
It was founded in 1887, driven by a core purpose of instilling unwavering courage and curiosity to educate women of ambition, integrity and consequence. It caters for around 1,000 students, including boarders from Year 7 to 12.
Well-known past students:
The school’s website states “We are proudly a girls’ school without religious affiliation, centred around strong values, a focus on academic excellence and a culture of positive leadership. Their website states that it provides girls with the skills to “meet the needs of the 21st century”.
Ascham School is the only Australian school in which ‘The Dalton Plan’ is implemented. The Dalton Plan is an educational concept that encourages students to focus on individual interests alongside their studies while providing extra support for students falling behind in certain areas.
Well-known past students:
The King’s School is an independent Anglican early learning, primary and secondary school for boys located in North Parramatta in the western suburbs of Sydney. The school has been educating boys for over 190 years and employs an immersive approach to learning.
The school also offers many structured learning opportunities including the Boys to Men Program, The King’s School Cadet Corps and the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Well-known past students:
Located in the Sydney suburb of Bellevue Hill, this all-boys school is known for its focus on character development, academic achievement, and overall boys' education. As a result, it demands high school fees.
The Scots College prioritises a dynamic and adaptive learning style. Preparing their students for the unpredictability of the future is a core philosophy of the school.
Well-known past students:
The Sydney Church of England Grammar School (more commonly known as Shore School), is an independent Anglican school for boys located on Sydney's Lower North Shore – not far from the iconic Harbor Bridge. The school operates across two campuses offering early learning, primary and secondary education, with both day and boarding options.
With 135 years of experience in educating boys, the school has a focus on academic rigour as well as offering access to a range of extra curricular activities including sports.
Well-known past students:
Reddam House Sydney is an independent, co-educational, non-denominational, day school, located in Woollahra and Bondi.
Originally launched in 2000, the school caters to children from Kindergarten through to Year 12.
Well-known past students:
According to Futurity Invests’ Planning for Education Index, the national average cost of an independent (private) school education over 13 years is a whopping $349,404. That’s $26,877 each year – per child!
The state and city you live in can also play a role in determining your fees. For example, Sydney's average annual private schooling cost is more than $35,300, or $459,236 in total! But in regional New South Wales, you’re looking at a total cost-per-child of $137,269, which is just over $10,550 per year.
Perth is Australia’s most affordable city for an independent education costing $215,554.
School fees are the biggest component of paying for private education, accounting for just under $24,000 annually on average. The next highest costs are outside tuition ($1,523), school camps and sports equipment ($1,156) and uniforms and textbooks ($683).
Here’s what you can expect to pay on average in each capital city and regional area in Australia for public and private schooling:
| Location | Government | Catholic | Independent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | $92,375 | $132,048 | $459,236 |
| NSW (regional & remote) | $59,683 | $117,476 | $137,268 |
| Brisbane | $74,988 | $158,199 | $273,280 |
| QLD (regional & remote) | $78,503 | $121,648 | $164,142 |
| Adelaide | $85,773 | $141,274 | $284,690 |
| SA (regional & remote) | $71,478 | $106,821 | $142,357 |
| Melbourne | $88,906 | $146,496 | $403,373 |
| VIC (regional & remote) | $59,162 | $108,182 | $213,232 |
| Perth | $76,229 | $140,387 | $215,554 |
| WA (regional & remote) | $74,645 | $110,054 | $154,213 |
Private schools are obviously a lot more expensive than public schools. This same research found that the total cost of putting a child through 13 years of public schooling is $83,869. That’s about $6,500 per year.
See our article on private vs public schools for a more detailed breakdown of the pros and cons of sending your child to each type of school. You should also make sure you research, compare and visit different schools and speak with experts to help make an informed decision.
If you need a hand paying for tuition fees, computers & books or your child’s extracurricular activities, an personal loan with Jacaranda could be the solution you’re after. Our flexible loans of up to $25,000 can be paid in manageable instalments over 25 months-36 months.
Check out how our fast online loans can help you today!
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