The future costs of education

The recent release of the 2019 Planning for Education Index provides unique insight into the estimated costs of primary and secondary school education for a child born in 2019. Designed to equip parents with vital information on schooling costs, the Index looks at a combination of school fee and ancillary cost data. Information on additional expenses, like uniform, books, laptops, camps, excursions and extracurricular activities, are gathered from an ASG survey to give a more clear indication of what schooling costs are projected to look like in the near future.

Using The Good Schools Guide data, we can compare the projected prices of government, independent and Catholic education across both urban and regional areas of Australia. While being confronted with school costs can be an overwhelming experience, it is important to consider the quality of education you are seeking for your child. Enrolling your child in a school that aims to explore, enhance and innovate their learning potential is a consideration worth keeping in mind when making important schooling decisions.

Government schools

Brisbane is estimated to be the most expensive place to educate your child through the state school system, with costs for both primary and secondary schooling predicted to reach nearly $86,000. Regional New South Wales and Melbourne are similarly predicted to overtake the national average, with both registering prices of $83,329 and $80,465 respectively.

In contrast, regional Tasmania and Darwin are estimated to have the cheapest state school costs with both posting prices below $50,000.

Independent schools

Sydney takes top spot when it comes to an independent system education, with costs estimated to reach $545,181. Melbourne sits close behind, with independent schooling anticipated to cost $516,425.

Regional Western Australia ($132,809), regional Tasmania ($153,756), Darwin ($164,361) and regional South Australia ($185,980) shape up as the most economical locations for independent schools, with all four areas recording estimated costs that are considerably lower than the national average.

Catholic schools

The South Australian capital is estimated to have the highest Catholic education costs for a child born in 2019, with Adelaide recording a figure of $153,365. Surprisingly, all other Australian cities and regions have estimated costs that fall below the national average of $148,016.

Regional Tasmania ($100,634) and regional Victoria ($103,098) have shaped up to be the most affordable areas for Catholic education.