Catholics claim ‘unmatched’ bang for buck as Sydney school costs soar

Santa Sophia Catholic College in Box Hill is part of the Parramatta Catholic diocese. Picture: Julian Andrews

Sydney families banking on sending their kids to an independent school can expect to spend more than those in any other Australian city, while Catholic school parents will spend the least between Kindergarten and Year 12 new modelling has revealed.

Over 13 years of schooling starting this year, parents at independent schools are set to fork out an estimated $377,993 per child, an increase of over $20,000 since last year.

The figures included in Futurity Investment Group’s cost of education index pale in comparison to the costs paid at the top end of town, with schools like Cranbrook, Kambala and The King’s School costing upwards of half a million dollars on fees alone.

Tuition at Cranbrook, Kincoppal-Rose Bay, and Barker College went up by more than 10 per cent for 2024.

Futurity CEO Sam Sondhi said the proportion spent on fees varies dramatically between sectors.

View over Sydney Harbour and Kincoppal-Rose Bay, where fees will rise by 11 per cent for the 2024 school year. Picture: John Appleyard

“We track the total cost of education and the tuition fees … for an independent school is only about 55 per cent of the total cost that a parent faces,” he said.

“The other 45 per cent is everything else, from uniforms to equipment, school excursions. When you look at a Catholic education, it’s about 20 per cent … and for a government school, it’s only about four.”

Cranbrook School’s Hordern Oval Precinct redevelopment won a National Award for Educational Architecture last year. It was budgeted at $125 million. Picture: Supplied

Association of Independent Schools of NSW chief executive Margery Evans said Futurity’s figures “represent a very narrow view of Independent schools” and cautioned that parents should “do their own research”.

“School costs rise each year in line with staff salaries, technology licences, increased cybersecurity, utility charges and maintenance costs,” she said.

“The median fee collected in NSW Independent schools is less than $5,500 per year.”

Meanwhile, the modelling also ranks Sydney’s Catholic schooling as the cheapest in the nation, costing parents $188,759 for primary and high school.

John XXII Catholic College master maths teacher Vikresh Gami has been asked to prepare lesson plans that can be used in all Catholic schools. Picture: Jane Dempster/The Australian.

There are more than 250 Catholic schools in the Sydney region, with fees set largely by their diocese and the system relying on the economies of scale to keep costs low.

Unlike competitive independent schools, most Catholic schools spend significantly less on facilities, technology and upgrades to the built environment, attracting families whose primary concerns are discipline, respect, religious values and academic standards according to a 2019 survey.

Source: Futurity Investment Group - Estimates of future long-term education costs projected over a 13-year period are provided as a guide only and are population weighted.

Catholic Schools NSW CEO Dallas McInerney said the systemic sector offers “unmatched” bang for buck, with an “absolute commitment to affordable schooling”.

“Systemic Catholic education is the best value for families anywhere in the country,” he said.

“It’s very rare that we turn a family away because they can’t pay the fees.”

Mr McInerney also said the use of grounds historically owned by the Catholic Church keeps costs down, unlike in new or rapidly expanding private schools who are paying top dollar for land.

“We bought our land more than 100 years ago, but if you are building a new independent school … you bake into your cost structure something extraordinary.”

The modelling predicts 13 years of public education will cost Sydney parents $94,819 per child, making it the second most expensive government schooling behind Melbourne, estimated at $108,879.