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September 23, 2026 \u2014 6:53pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n The country\u2019s oldest private school will raise its baseline tuition fees past the $50,000 mark for the first time as it focuses on attracting and retaining excellent teachers.<\/p>\n The King\u2019s School in North Parramatta was the first of Sydney\u2019s elite private schools to inform parents of tuition fee increases for 2027, under which parents of year 12 students will be charged $52,380, up nearly 5 per cent compared with last year.<\/p>\n King\u2019s Council chairman Ken Chapman told parents they were mindful of balancing cost pressures with the need to maintain the quality of education, programs and opportunities for students.<\/p>\n \u201cIn doing so, the Council is conscious that many families are themselves managing higher costs across their household budgets.\u201d<\/p>\n He said staffing remained the school\u2019s biggest cost, which reflected \u201cthe importance of attracting and retaining excellent teachers and staff\u201d.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cCosts have also increased across areas such as insurance, technology, utilities and the regulatory requirements associated with operating a school of our size and complexity.\u201d<\/p>\n The King\u2019s School reached a confidential settlement with its former headmaster Tony George earlier this year. It was subsequently revealed in court documents that George joked about a staff member\u2019s violent remarks towards an autistic boy, the day before he hit a student on the head with the back of his hand. He was subject to an external investigation.<\/p>\n For King\u2019s parents, next year the cost of day boys\u2019 daily lunch will increase by $29 a term to total $2516 for the year, equating to $13 per school day for a fresh chef-cooked meal. The technology fee, bus levy and the cost of digital textbooks will also increase.<\/p>\n A parent with a child enrolled might realistically sail close to spending $60,000 once lunch, the technology fee ($1932), the King\u2019s bus service ($554 a term), plus a new full uniform (an initial $2300 outlay) are all factored in.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n School councils have cited rising wage costs as the reason behind fee hikes, along with the need for information technology upgrades.<\/p>\n Some high-fee schools are set to pay their teachers as much as $160,000 a year under a new wage<\/a> agreement next year.<\/p>\n Paul O\u2019Shannassy, whose business, Regent Consulting, helps parents in both Sydney and Melbourne secure their child a spot in a private school, said constant fee rises had made some parents with double incomes seriously reconsider their options.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a combination of factors at play: the cost of living, interest rates, inflation \u2013 they were zero basically five years ago,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Related Article Parents were not abandoning private schools altogether, he said, but were trying to be strategic by considering lower- and mid-fee options, or alternatively, sending students for senior grades only.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re looking at systemic Catholic schools, schools which charge $20,000, or staying longer at primary schools and not going from kindergarten and grade one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0e46d3f030e320db391c19cec890037a2a4c46b1.jpeg\")
The King\u2019s School will charge baseline tuition of more than $50,000 next year, but parents could sail close to the $60,000 once extras are included.Wolter Peeters<\/p>\n![\"Private](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/4fcf618ba476ace82b758c641a865617d770e4a95f93bac5b76dcb30f6f090af.jpeg\")
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