The Edstart report,which analysed fees at 197 independent and Catholic schools in NSW,shows the median charge was $11,194 for year 12,with an overall rise of 6.84 per cent across NSW.

Evans said the “Capacity to Contribute” (CTC) scores,the metric that calculates how much parents can afford by tracking their taxable income,was one reason for the increases and differences in fees.

“More than 70 NSW schools are dealing with a CTC-related cut in their government funding in 2024 – many by well over 4 per cent,” she said.

“Some western Sydney schools educating children from lower-income households have been assigned a lower CTC score for 2024 and will have a slight increase in their government funding,lessening their need to increase fees.”

NSW Parents’ Council president Rose Cantali said many families were struggling with cost-of-living pressures and were “concerned about the future,and if they will be able to afford to keep their children at their current schools.

“Some are considering if they will have to switch schools;families are also questioning the fees and if they are getting value for money,” Cantali said.

Increases were most prominent in the north,where high-fee schools such as Barker College and Knox Grammar lifted fees more than 8 per cent to more than $40,000,while the mid-range St Pius X College grew by almost 9 per cent to $14,272.

In the inner west,MLC lifted fees by 8.5 per cent to $39,648.00,while Rosebank College lifted fees by 13 per cent to $13,710.

Sydney’s south-west and west are home to the most affordable non-government schools,where the median fee hikes for 2024 are between 5 and 5.5 per cent. Penola Catholic College Emu Plains lifted fees by 1.5 per cent to $5976,while Patrician Brothers’ College Blacktown fees rose 3.5 per cent to $6819. Our Lady of Mercy College in Parramatta lifted fees about 6 per cent to $16,185.

Edstart chief executive officer Jack Stevens said many schools were grappling with a dramatic increase in operational costs,with salaries and wages typically making up 70 per cent of a school’s cost base.

“Insurance in some cases has increased by 30 to 50 per cent and construction costs in some instances have increased more than 25 per cent,” Stevens said.

“The vast majority of private schools are priced in the range of $5000 to $10,000. Fee increases for these schools in many cases are in line with or below CPI which will therefore provide great relief to the majority of households.”

Former King’s School headmaster Tim Hawkes said there had long been “regional discrepancies in fee increases”,and price hikes at high-fee institutions were largely due to government funding cuts and rising teacher salaries.

“Other discrepancies in fee increases arise due to differences in state funding and differences in community expectations. Many parents are prepared to make huge sacrifices to secure a good education for their children – so quality schools will always thrive,with many still having significant waiting lists.”

AHerald analysis of fees at Sydney’s most expensive schools revealed this year’s price hikes were largely attributed to rising operational costs and higher staff and teacher salaries.

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