School costs: Report by Futurity Investment Group finds Perth second most expensive for public education

Perth is now the nation’s second-most expensive city to educate children at a public school, with costs rocketing more than 30 per cent in a year. Modelling released on Wednesday by the Futurity Investment Group estimates parents will shell out $122,106 across 13 years for a child who starts pre-primary at a public school in Perth this year. And grandparents are increasingly stepping in to help cash-strapped parents cover their kids’ education costs. Futurity’s chief executive Sarah McAdie said 11 per cent of 2400 parents who took part in a national survey reported that grandparents were contributing to the cost of their children’s education — up from 7 per cent last year. “Spiralling cost of living, rent and mortgage repayment pressures mean many households are under considerable pressure,” she said. “With less discretionary money to spend, it is going to be a challenge for many families to pay for education, including school fees and voluntary contributions, which have all increased in the past year.” Ms McAdie said parents were having to find ways to reduce spending, such as cutting back on elective subjects or music lessons outside school. “When you talk to parents about how they’re coping . . . we can see nationally that parents are making some sacrifices and some savvy spending decisions,” she said. “For example, 24 per cent of parents told us they’re sacrificing their family holiday, almost 30 per cent said they’re going without buying things for themselves and 22 per cent said they’re working more hours than they’d like to.” The Futurity Investment Group — a company that issues education bonds and loans — commissioned McCrindle to conduct the research, drawing on survey results and publicly-available school income data. Researchers who compiled the cost of education index found the overall price of a public education in Perth was second only to Sydney and just 1 per cent below the national average. Costs have surged 35 per cent since last year’s report, when Perth was classed as the nation’s third most expensive city for government education. While fees and voluntary contributions made up only 6 per cent of the total bill, the modelling also took into account extracurricular costs such as after-school tutoring, music lessons and school excursions. Ms McAdie said parents in Perth were paying considerably more than parents in other States in some categories. Perth public school parents reported paying $1041 for a musical instrument and lessons, compared with $842 in Canberra and $519 in Adelaide. “Another category where we see Perth being higher than other States is school excursions,” Ms McAdie said. “Perth parents said they were paying $429 a year for those excursions, which is second only to Sydney, which is the most expensive for government schools.” Perth parents also estimated they paid $683 towards extra technology requirements — such as software — well above the national average of $480. Textbooks were also more pricey in Perth than any other city except Sydney. More than 325,00 children — two-thirds of WA’s students — attend public schools. Education Department deputy director-general for education business services Phillipa Beamish Burton said WA public schools offered a significant amount of support — such as fee assistance, uniform subsidies and canteen vouchers — to ensure every child had a chance to learn and succeed. “Public schools in WA do not charge a tuition fee, and voluntary parent contributions towards the cost of materials, services and facilities are capped — these have not increased since 2000,” she said. “Schools ensure optional charges are kept to a minimum and that a no-cost option can be provided to students for compulsory programs to ensure students have access to a high-quality education regardless of their financial circumstances. “In many cases, additional school activities such as camps, excursions, swimming lessons or social outings are subsidised by schools to reduce the cost for families.” Despite the rising cost of stationery, school books and teachers’ wages, Perth was the most affordable city to educate a child at an independent school. Total costs for a five-year-old starting at an independent school this year were estimated at $300,109 by the time they graduate from Year 12. While the eye-watering figure was more than double the public school expense, it was 14 per cent below the national average and much cheaper than Sydney ($411,108). School fees made up more than half of those costs, with parents forking out an average $7814. But independent schooling is far more pricey for parents in the bush — estimated at $277,862 — making WA the most expensive State for students who live outside the metropolitan area. In good news for parents with children in Catholic schools, education costs fell 5 per cent compared to last year. A child embarking on 13 years in Catholic classrooms is expected to cost their parents $192,613, with school fees averaging $2786. The only capital city cheaper than Perth for a Catholic education was Adelaide. Ms McAdie noted that kids in Catholic schools could be missing out on extracurricular activities as their parents find other ways to trim the family budget. “We actually saw a reduction in spending in the Catholic school system across a number of those ancillary categories, which we didn’t see so much in the government and independent sector,” she said. “It was parents making those decisions around ‘perhaps we can’t afford music this year, or perhaps we’re only going to do one activity’.” Catholic Education WA executive director Wayne Bull said it offered parents an affordable choice of faith-based schooling, “particularly at a time where families face cost of living pressures”.