On average, private school fees, charges and other parental contributions now reach $8,973 per student per year, or over $100,000 for a K-12 private school education. These high fees are a marker of Australia’s unusual funding system; unlike in most other countries, private schools are allowed to both take government funding and charge fees of their choosing.

On the other hand, Australia’s public schools face annual funding shortfalls of over $4 billion per year, underfunding that Australian governments have committed to rectifying by 2034 – or after most current students will have finished school. This is the environment in which more and more parents are sending their children to private schools.

Australians are noticing these funding imbalances, as well as the effect of skyrocketing private school fees on the cost-of-living crisis.