A Herald analysis of 20 leading independent schools has found that tuition fees for senior students have increased by nearly 13 per cent in the past two years, which principals say is a reflection of rising costs including teacher salaries. Alex Spence crunched the numbers.
Tuition fees at the country’s most exclusive private secondary schools have increased by double-digit percentages in the past two years, but the schools say the soaring costs have not resulted in a drop in applications.
A Herald analysis of fees at 20 leading independent schools has revealed they are charging an average of $26,927 for tuition for a final-year student in 2024, with additional payments that at some schools amount to thousands of dollars.
The average tuition fee for a Year-13 student at these schools has jumped by 6.4 per cent this year and 12.7 per cent since 2022, raising concerns that more Kiwi families will be priced out of providing their children an elite education.
People in the sector acknowledged that higher tuition fees would add to the financial pressures on many households but said the increases were broadly in line with consumer price inflation and reflected steeply rising costs in the education sector — especially teacher salaries.
Of the schools we reviewed, Christ’s College, an Anglican boys’ school in Christchurch, has the highest declared tuition fee for a Year-13 student, at $32,250. This was followed by King’s College, in Auckland, at $30,410.
Scots College, a co-ed school in Wellington, had the highest percentage rise over the past two years, increasing its annual tuition fee by 18.6 per cent to $27,400 since 2022, according to the Herald’s analysis.
Wellington’s Samuel Marsden Collegiate increased its tuition fee by 17.7 per cent in the past two years, to $25,156, and Auckland’s Diocesan School for Girls put its fee up by 14.8 per cent to $28,445.
Looking at the one-year change between 2023 and 2024, St Peter’s Cambridge was the only school in the group to keep its tuition fee unchanged, at $28,400, although it introduced a $1400 charge for the upkeep of buildings. All the other schools had a year-on-year tuition fee increase of 5 per cent or more this year.
Tuition fees are not the only substantial expense that parents are paying. Private schools are increasingly passing on the cost of maintaining facilities through capital levies that typically amount to more than $1000 a year, while even being accepted at many private schools can incur a one-off charge of up to $2500.
Boarding fees can add another $20,000 to the annual cost of sending a student to a private school.
Leigh Melville, chair of the St Cuthbert’s College trust board, said: “Our tuition fees are carefully determined through a comprehensive process that considers various factors. Like many organisations and households, we continue to experience additional costs due to inflation pressures.”
Secondary teachers in the public sector have been awarded pay rises of about 14 per cent in the past two years, Melville said, and private schools tend to follow that to remain competitive.
“We cannot simply absorb substantial increases in our biggest cost centre without increasing our fees,” she said.
Heather McRae, principal at Diocesan, said other costs had included insurance, complying with health and safety regulations, technology upgrades, and repairs to infrastructure damaged by last year’s extreme flooding.
“The community will have experienced similar price increases with rates, utilities, and mortgage interest rates,” McRae said. “It is certainly difficult when inflationary pressures affect all businesses, families, and the economy. We are grateful that our community continues to prioritise high-quality education during these times, as evidenced by our ongoing strong school roll and waiting list.”
Guy Pascoe, chief executive of Independent Schools of New Zealand, said: “It’s not in anyone’s interest, in the school’s interest or the families’ interests, for fees to just keep going up and up and up. But there is a reality, a commercial reality, that schools have to be able to pay their staff and upkeep their buildings and continue to provide a high-quality education.”
Pascoe said school leaders are aware that some families will not be able to afford private education if fees continue increasing at these rates. “Absolutely, it’s a challenge. Schools have to walk a very fine line between keeping up with inflation and meeting the cost of education delivery, while not pricing themselves out of the market.”
Mike Waller, executive principal at Pinehurst School in Albany, said: “We are very conscious of the potential impact on families and do our best to support any family that may be struggling. We offer means-tested scholarships and these are available to support both our current families who may need some extra help or families of modest means who wish to join our school.”
School representatives said the price increases have not caused a slump in demand for places.
Di Humphries, chair of the trust board at St Margaret’s College in Christchurch, said there is “strong interest in enrolment, from new entrants upwards”.
Melville said St Cuthbert’s had experienced “no impact, and we continued to see high demand for places at the college”.
Christ’s College said its roll is at an “all-time high” of 737, “with a lengthy waiting list”.
Queen Margaret College said it has its highest student roll ever.
And at Diocesan, McRae said: “Our roll has grown considerably between 2022 and 2024 and we have a waiting list”.
Dr Stuart Deerness, a senior lecturer in education at Auckland University of Technology, said it is difficult to determine empirically whether the investment in private education is worth it for the families that are willing and able to pay higher prices.
“The evidence that private schooling leads to improved educational outcomes is ambiguous,” Deerness said. “OECD reports indicate that students who attend private schools tend to perform better in international tests than students who attend public schools, in general, but when compared to students in public schools of a similar socio-economic context, this gap disappears.”
The Herald collated publicly available fee data published by 20 leading independent private schools for the 2022, 2023, and 2024 academic years. For ease of comparison, we focused on the tuition fees for Year-13 students. The list is not exhaustive and may not include some private schools that have not disclosed their fees or for which we could not obtain complete data for the period.
These are the schools we analysed, ranked by the 2024 tuition fee:
1. Christ’s College - $32,250
Christchurch
Boys
One-year change: 7 per cent
Two-year change: 8.8 per cent
Other costs: Enrolment fee $250; acceptance fee $2500; boarding $21,000; heritage and building levy $1600.
Garth Wynne, executive principal: “It’s important to note that our fees are all-inclusive. Other independent schools add a monthly disbursement to their base fees … At Christ’s College, our fees are all-inclusive to ensure there are no surprises for our families.
“The increased fees in 2024 reflect rising costs across the board, most specifically for teaching staff salary increases and for our heritage and building levy to maintain our campus … Financial constraints are a reality for any organisation, and we are no exception.”
2. King’s College - $30,410
Otahuhu, Auckland
Co-ed from Year-11
One-year change: 5.5 per cent
Two-year change: 12.4 per cent
Other costs: Campus and building levy $500; boarding $17,880; application fee $350; acceptance fee $1700; lifetime membership of Old Collegians’ Association $759.
3. St Cuthbert’s College - $29,164
Epsom, Auckland
Girls
One-year change: 7 per cent
Two-year change: 12.3 per cent
Other costs: Boarding $19,976; building levy (per family) $500; application fee $250; acceptance fee $2365.
Leigh Melville, chair of St Cuthbert’s College trust board: “We understand the impact an increase in fees can have on our families. Our annual tuition fees are carefully determined through a comprehensive process that considers various factors. Like many organisations and households, we continue to experience additional costs due to inflation pressures.
“Our primary focus at St Cuthbert’s is to deliver our students with the very best education, empowering them to excel academically, socially, and personally. Achieving this requires investing in our teachers … To align with the PPTA’s collective agreement and continue to attract the best staff in a tight labour market, we have also increased the salaries of our own teachers … We cannot simply absorb substantial increases in our biggest cost centre without increasing our fees.”
4. St Margaret’s College - $29,110
Merivale, Christchurch
Girls
One-year change: 6.5 per cent
Two-year change: 12.4 per cent
Other costs: Enrolment fee $200; acceptance fee $1600; International Baccalaureate Diploma levy $1500; boarding $17,900; building fund contribution $1320; parents and friend’s association membership $69.
Di Humphries, chair of St Margaret’s College trust board: “We are ever mindful of the sacrifices families make to send their daughters to St Margaret’s College. Our governance role is to ensure the college is financially sustainable whilst providing the very best education for our girls. We manage our resources carefully to limit fee increases whilst continuing to provide the highest quality teaching, modern facilities, small class sizes, and an extensive programme of co-curricular activities.”
5. Rangi Ruru Girls’ School - $29,050
Merivale, Christchurch
Girls
One-year change: 6 per cent
Two-year change: 14.4 per cent
Other costs: Confirmation fee $1750; boarding $18,100.
6. Diocesan School for Girls - $28,445
Epsom, Auckland
Girls
One-year change: 8 per cent
Two-year change: 14.8 per cent
Other costs: Registration fee $300; enrolment fee $1750; boarding $20,195; alumnae association membership $700; with unspecified course fees and additional quarterly costs for incidentals such as class trips, sports activities, and Parents and Friends’ Association subscriptions.
Heather McRae, principal: “Private schools pay the Government more in GST than we receive in any funding. That funding has been set and fixed at $40 million since back in the ‘90s with no inflation or CPI adjustments. It is allocated per student on the roll, meaning that as the numbers of students in private schools has increased, the amount for each student goes down. Over the years as demand for private schooling has increased, we have also had to increase our fees to compensate.
“The community will have experienced similar price increases with rates, utilities, and mortgage interest rates. It is certainly difficult when inflationary pressures affect all businesses, families, and the economy. We are grateful that our community continues to prioritise high-quality education during these times, as evidenced by our ongoing strong school roll and waiting list.”
7. St Peter’s Cambridge - $28,400
Cambridge
Co-ed
One-year change: no change
Two-year change: 7.1 per cent
Other costs: Boarding $18,975; alumni membership $250; campus development fee $1400; application fee $250; acceptance fee $1100; unspecified bus fares and camp fees.
John Macaskill-Smith, chair of the college board: “St Peter’s has taken a long-term view to raising fees. During Covid the school held costs where possible, deferred some capital and maintenance, and refunded and discounted fees where appropriate, all while maintaining suppliers and staff. Recovery from this has been managed across a long-term period. Post-Covid, we had some extreme growth in costs, as have all parts of the community.
“Enrolment numbers have generally remained consistent, and demand remains strong, which we believe shows the community values the St Peter’s experience … The board and the school will continue to hold a long-term view and adjust as required and appropriate.”
8. St Andrew’s College - $27,900
Strowan, Christchurch
Co-ed
One-year change: 9 per cent
Two-year change: 14.3 per cent
Other costs: Boarding $19,200; application fee $150; acceptance fee $500; unspecified monthly disbursements for items such as stationery, outdoor education, and photographs.
9. ACG Parnell College - $27,620
Parnell, Auckland
Co-ed
One-year change: 6 per cent
Two-year change: 12.9 per cent
Other costs: Enrolment fee $600.
10. Kristin School - $27,606
Albany, Auckland
Co-ed
One-year change: 7 per cent
Two-year change: 13.4 per cent
Other costs: Application fee $300; entrance fee $900; education bond $3000; activity fee for field trips of up to $670; development contribution $1150; one-off fee for membership of alumni association $500.
11. Scots College - $27,400
Strathmore Park, Wellington
Co-ed
One-year change: 8.7 per cent
Two-year change: 18.6 per cent
Other costs: Boarding (five days a week) $18,590; application fee $160; acceptance fee $500; leaver’s bond $1000; Scots Foundation annual levy $150; parents’ foundation annual levy $69; Scots Collegians Association levy $100.
12. Queen Margaret College - $26,660
Thorndon, Wellington
Girls
One-year change: 8.1 per cent
Two-year change: 13.3 per cent
Other costs: Enrolment fee $180; acceptance fee $460; Community and Old Girls’ Association levy $210; boarding deposit $1000; boarding (seven-day) $20,450.
Jayne-Ann Young, principal: “In setting fees, the Queen Margaret College board of governors considers the impact on our parents and caregivers as the fee-payers, the operating needs of the college, the economic context of rising costs, especially CPI. After eight consecutive school terms of roll growth, Queen Margaret College started 2024 with its highest student roll ever. This confirms our fees are aligned with demand and that families are willing to invest in the quality of education we provide to our students.”
13. ACG Strathallan School - $26,200
Karaka, Auckland
Co-ed
One-year change: 6 per cent
Two-year change: 12.4 per cent
Other costs: Enrolment fee $600.
14. St Paul’s Collegiate School - $25,910
Chartwell, Hamilton
Co-ed
One-year change: 6 per cent
Two-year change: 12.4 per cent
Other costs: Enrolment fee $1250; deposit $1900; boarding $18,540; lunches (for day pupils) $2595; Parents’ Association fee $115; Collegians’ Association fee $115.
15. Saint Kentigern College - $25,904
Pakuranga, Auckland
Co-ed
One-year change: 6 per cent
Two-year change: 11.3 per cent
Other costs: Application fee $300; acceptance fee $500; Old Collegians Association membership $575; contribution levy $1500; laptop computer bundle $2600; software licence fee $250; boarding $19,878; publications fee $200; other unspecified costs for bus fares, sports trips and other “curriculum-related charges”.
16. Samuel Marsden Collegiate School - $25,156
Karori, Wellington
Girls
One-year change: 9 per cent
Two-year change: 17.7 per cent
Other costs: Application fee $100; enrolment fee $450; levies (including leadership camp, special breakfasts and lunches, and the Leavers’ Ball) $4512; Old Girls’ Association membership $350; unspecified other costs for incidentals such as class trips, photographs, and outdoor activities.
Paula Wells, principal: “It is worth noting that Marsden school’s published tuition fees are inclusive of a wide range of school costs purposely to ensure that true costs are transparent and appropriately representative both for caregivers of current students, and for those considering a Marsden education for their child. This may or may not be the case with other independent schools’ fees that you refer to in your comparisons ... Marsden students continue to flourish and thrive.”
17. ACG Tauranga - $24,490
Tauranga
Co-ed
One-year change: 5.9 per cent
Two-year change: 12.3 per cent
Other costs: Registration fee $400; annual administration fee $1200; acceptance fee $500.
18. ACG Sunderland - $23,595
Henderson, Auckland
Co-ed
One-year change: 6.4 per cent
Two-year change: 13.3 per cent
Other costs: Acceptance fee $500.
19. Pinehurst School - $21,675
Albany, Auckland
Co-ed
One-year change: 5.7 per cent
Two-year change: 11.2 per cent
Other costs: Application $225; entrance fee $595; alumni fee $115; bond $2500; capital contribution $750; consumables and activity fee $320; other fees for camps, school trips, sports, and external exams.
Mike Waller, executive principal: “Pinehurst School was founded on providing outstanding private education and making sure it was as accessible to as wide a range of families as possible … It is notable that while our percentage increase may be comparable to other schools, we are moving from a lower base and the dollar increase is much lower than many others.
“Teacher salaries make up the largest component of our expenses, and we are directly affected by the NZEI and PPTA settlements for teachers working in the state sector, which saw a significant increase (with additional lump sum payments) in 2023. We worked very hard to ensure the increase was as minimal as possible, reflecting a desire to look after our families who are also seeing increased costs in other parts of their lives.
“We are very conscious of the potential impact on families and do our best to support any family that may be struggling. We offer means-tested scholarships and these are available to support both our current families who may need some extra help or families of modest means who wish to join our school. We remain concerned though that a number of our families have businesses that have been experiencing tough times in the Covid and post-Covid eras, which is one of the drivers to continue to keep fees as low as possible, while not compromising the quality of our education.”
20. Wentworth Private School - $21,600
Gulf Harbour, Auckland
Co-ed
One-year change: 5 per cent
Two-year change: 10.2 per cent
Other costs: Application fee $100; enrolment confirmation fee $850.
Alex Spence is an investigative reporter and feature writer who tends to focus on social issues. He joined the Herald in 2020 after 17 years in London where he worked for The Times, Politico, and BuzzFeed News. He can be reached at alex.spence@nzme.co.nz or by text or secure Signal messaging on 0272358834.
