Authors
Media release
Australian high schools the most expensive in the world – new research
Australia has one of the world’s most privatised high school systems. These schools charge families high and rising fees and receive significant government funding, all without delivering substantially better results.
While there is no evidence that the significant expense of privatised school education has boosted Australia’s education performance, it is clear that private schools have succeeded in segregating Australia’s rich and poor between expensive private schools and underfunded public schools.
The Australian system of privatised schooling is costly and creates an ever-growing gap between the non-educational experience of students at wealthy private schools and students at underfunded public schools. Without policy change, the inequality between private and public education will continue to grow, and Australian students, along with the Australian community and economy, will suffer.