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Taxpayers tip in less than $5000 per student across 15 of the state’s high-fee schools, a Herald analysis of funding of combined state and Commonwealth governments reveals.
North shore schools SCEGGS, Redlands, Shore, and Bellevue Hill’s Scots College received the lowest amount of funding on a per-student basis, 2024 figures obtained from the government’s MySchool website show. It is the latest year for which is data available.
The analysis looked at more than 806 government, Catholic and private schools offering a secondary education. The school finance data does not distinguish between per-student funding at a high school level, with many independent schools offering kindergarten to year 12, while government high schools are often year 7 to 12.
The three lowest-funded public schools were Dulwich High School of Visual Arts and Design, The Ponds High and Sefton High, each receiving less than $15,000 per student in 2024. Schools with greater need – with socioeducational disadvantage, a higher proportion of students with a disability, or schools which are in a remote location, for example – are given additional loading.
Australia is unique among nations due to the number of independent schools that receive government funding.
A report from the left-leaning think tank The Australia Institute earlier this year said governments gave significant public support to private schools that charge high fees and spend large amounts of money on non-educational amenities and facilities.
“At the same time, they also choose not to provide enough funding to the public school system to meet the Commonwealth government’s own benchmarks,” it said.
Right-leaning think tank The Centre for Independent Studies’ education director Blaise Joseph said private school funding gave low- and middle-income parents school choice, which they would not have otherwise.
“High-income parents always have school choice regardless, because they can afford a high-fee private school, or to live in wealthier suburbs with top-performing public schools and move to wherever the best public schools are,” he said.
“So the fundamental question here is: do we want only rich parents to have school choice or do we want all parents to have school choice? I think it’s crucial for educational equity to empower all parents to have access to a low-fee alternative if they are not satisfied with their local government school.”
He noted government schools receive on average about $26,000 per student in total government funding, compared to $15,000 for non-government schools.
Under the school funding model, each school receives funding determined by a measure called the Schooling Resource Standard.
In 2026, that comprises $14,467 per primary student and $18,180 per secondary student, with additional base loadings for disability, low English proficiency, parents’ education and occupation, Indigenous status, remote and small schools. Catholic and private school funding is also reduced based on parents’ taxable income.
While economists note that the growth in enrolments in independent schools relieves pressure on the state’s budget because it transfers the cost of education to parents’ fees and the Commonwealth, disadvantaged students were now concentrated in public schools.
The research by Dr Michele Bruniges showed 94 per cent of schools with a high concentration of disadvantage in Australia are public schools. In NSW, the figure is 97 per cent.
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