The cost of sending a child to public school in Australia has climbed by nearly 40% in three years, reaching a record high of $123,294 for children starting in 2025. The survey by McCrindle also found that Catholic school fees have risen to an average of $153,444, while independent schooling now costs $350,158 on average. The report highlighted the financial strain on Australian families, with one-third feeling inadequately equipped to cover lifelong education expenses.
Parents of a child starting public school this year will pay almost 40 per cent more than over their schooling than for a child who started three years ago. For children who started school in 2022, the overall average cost in major cities nationwide was $83,869 but that figure has ballooned to an all-time high of $123,294 for a child starting in 2025, according to the annual Future Cost of Education survey.
With six children ranging in age from eight to 18, parents Alan and Amy Haythorpe, from the SA suburb of Hillbank, north of Adelaide, try to juggle the family budget to ensure none of their children miss out. “We spend about $800 on clothes, and $400 on school bags and lunch boxes ,” she said. “Books, pencils, pencil cases, calculators cost about $150, with shoes being about $500 for us.
Finance EDUCATION COSTS PUBLIC SCHOOLING AUSTRALIAN PARENTS SCHOOL FEES COST OF LIVING
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