The significant cost of educating children in Australia is forcing parents to work more hours and families to cut back on holidays.
Australian families are reconsidering whether to have more children and are relying on others for help to pay for education fees as the cost of schooling accumulates.
For a child starting school in 2026, it will cost families in major cities $113,594 for a government education, $247,174 for private schooling, and $369,594 to send them to an independent school over 13 years.
In rural and distant regions, families face significant educational expenditures: public schooling costs approximately $100,395, Catholic schooling comes to about $223,874, and independent schools require around $230,144.
The research conducted by school finance group Futurity takes in school fee data from Australia’s curriculum authority and interviews 2500 parents about their spending habits.
Melbourne topped the capital cities in government school costs at $121,202, while regional and remote Queensland parents face the steepest education bill of $108,647.
Government school fees made up 13 per cent for metro and five per cent for regional costs, with the remaining amount going to add-ons including outside tutoring, transport, school camps and uniforms.
Residents of Canberra incur the highest expenses for Catholic schooling, while those in regional and remote areas of Queensland pay the steepest fees, reaching $273,494.
Independent schools are most expensive in Melbourne, costing $435,902, while Western Australia is the priciest for regional and remote schools at $275,639.
Families value education, with nine in 10 saying education is important for their child to thrive in life, Futurity’s Sarah McAdie said.
“[They] are prepared to make sacrifices in order for their child to access the education that the parents choose and value for their child,” she told the Australian Associated Press.
To manage these rising costs, parents are increasingly turning to cost-saving measures, such as purchasing second-hand school uniforms, extending the lifespan of laptops, and reducing spending on musical instruments and camps.
