Kearsney College. (Image: facebook.com/KearsneyCollege)
- South Africa’s most expensive day school now costs R224,620 for a single year of Grade 12.
- That’s more than double the cost of first-year medical tuition at all South African universities.
- All the schools in the top 10 now cost more than R174,000 per year, with two having broken the R190,000 barrier.
- Fee increases have also returned in a big way, with all of the top 10 schools increasing by at least 6.8% starting in 2022.
- These are the most expensive day schools in South Africa for the 2023 academic year.
- For more stories, visit www.BusinessInsider.co.za.
South Africa’s most expensive day schools have resumed typical fee increases after a momentary reprieve during the Covid-19 pandemic. These increases have brought a school to more than 220,000 rand per year enrolled, which is more than double the cost of the first year of medicine at all South African universities.
Two schools have passed the R190,000 per year mark for the first time, and the remaining seven schools in the top 10 now cost more than R174,360 per year.
Kearsney College remains the most expensive school in South Africa for the year 2023. A year of tuition there now costs at least R224,620 for a day student, an increase of 7.5%, or R15,620, from 2022.
Despite private school fee increases across the board, Kearsney retains the accolade of most expensive school it has had in many years. Given his leadership, it will take a dramatic increase in competitors to compete for this position.
St John’s College and Roedean School (South Africa’s most expensive girls’ school) remain in second and third place. Despite the steep increases for 2023, which push both into the R190,000 per year range, they are still R30,000 cheaper than Kearsney. By comparison, R30,000 is almost enough to pay a year’s tuition for most degrees at the University of the Western Cape.
Rounding out the top five most expensive schools for 2023 are Bishops Diocesan College and Clifton College. Clifton College is a new entry in the top five by virtue of a 9.6% increase. It pushes Crawford College Santon down one place.
The smallest fee increase this year belongs to St Alban’s College. That school only raised its fees by 6.8%, meaning it fell from sixth to ninth place by the year 2023. A sizeable 8.8% increase for King David has also lifted that school into the top 10 for the first time. time. In doing so, he knocked St Stithians College out of the top 10 for 2023.
Raises are back in a big way for 2023
During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, many schools chose not to increase fees significantly.
For the 2021 academic year, all schools except Kearsney restricted fee increases to 3% or less, with some choosing not to increase fees at all.
The following year, most tested the waters again, with increases of between 4% and 7%.
But by 2023, it looks like all systems are back on track. All schools in the top 10 have increased their fees by at least 6.8%, with the most significant increase being 9.6%.
The average price increase across all the wealthiest schools in South Africa for 2023 is 8.2%, or R14,040.
Extras and warnings
Business Insider South Africa uses published fee schedules to calculate the most expensive schools in South Africa. Many private schools require parents to pay extra for things like extracurricular activities, field trips, or meals.
Some include school development costs in fee schedules; others charge them later as required or optional extras.
Some schools also include IEB fees in their calculations, while others charge separately. And Redhill High School, just outside the top 10, now offers students the International Baccalaureate, or IB, program. This is still not a mainstream program in South Africa, but students taking this optional stream pay R185,000 per year, which would push Redhill into fifth place.
Many schools also offer discounts for early or early annual payments and charge interest for quarterly or monthly payments. The following table assumes annual payments in advance, which is the cheapest way to pay private school fees in South Africa.
These are the most expensive day schools in South Africa for 2023:
