Families say they are struggling to pay school fees – why are so many still choosing private schools?

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · Aug 02, 2026 · 890 words · By Elisa Di Gregorio; Emma Rowe

Public vs Private School Funding Cost of living crisis Educational Equity

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What to know about Public vs Private School Funding

The article discusses the rising cost of private school tuition in Australia and the resulting financial pressure on families. It argues that public school underfunding drives parents toward independent schools and suggests tying government funding to tuition fees to increase affordability and educational equity.

Propaganda risk 30%

Claims checked 21

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left20%

Center60%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

This month, multiple news outlets have reported families’ concerns about rising private school costs during the cost-of-living crisis.

Why it matters

It’s likely this trend will increase, as private school tuition fees rise faster than inflation.

Common ground

Why are families putting themselves under this pressure?

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Causal Oversimplification, Appeal to Pity: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Public vs Private School Funding story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Australian public schools educate the majority of disadvantaged students?
How does this story connect Public vs Private School Funding with Cost of living crisis over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/families-say-they-are-struggling-to-pay-school-fees-…

analyticsAnalysis

30%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 90%

Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Causal Oversimplification 70% confidence

Assuming a single cause for a complex issue.

Why it matters: Recognizing causal oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Pity 60% confidence

Evoking sympathy to win support rather than using logical arguments.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to pity helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 21 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 11

info Single Source 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

check_circle Corroborated 2

verified Verified By Reference 2

verified Verified 1

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Claim 1: “Australian public schools educate the majority of disadvantaged students.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 2: “In 2025, 63% of students attended public school. In 2006 it was 67%.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this claim.

info

Claim 3: “More than half reported struggling to pay school fees, and 28% said they had also cut back on essentials, such as medicine, groceries and transport, to help pay fees.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific statistics (over half struggling, 28% cutting essentials) are reported by only one source ('Families say they are struggling to pay school fees' via The Sen Times).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 51% of respondents reported incurring credit card or bank debt as a result of the cuts. “Of the 550 sole parents who took part, 88% reported struggling to cover the cost of groceries each week and 53%…
https://bubhub.com.au/blog/single-parents-struggling-to-buy-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In a survey conducted by the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University last.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01490400.2020.1…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — More than half reported struggling to pay school fees, and 28% said they had also cut back on essentials, such as medicine, groceries and transport, to help pay fees.
https://theconversation.com/families-say-they-are-struggling…

schedule

Claim 4: “As part of the study, 801 Australian parents with children in private schools were asked about their schooling choices. It found 38% would have enrolled their child in the public system if their local public school was better funded.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 5: “In Victoria it was $20,923.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources ('CHILD Magazines' and 'The Sen Times') explicitly state that the average tuition fee for a Year 12 student in Victoria in 2024 was $20,923.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Victorian Premier's Prize for Poetry, formerly known as the C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry, is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award. As of 2011 it has an enumeration of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_Premier's_Prize_for_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Victorian of the Year is an award given to the most outstanding Victorian in any given year. The Victorian of the Year is awarded in Melbourne by the Victoria Day Council as part of Victoria Day c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_of_the_Year

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Victorian Premier's Prize for Nonfiction, formerly known as the Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-Fiction, is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award. As of 2011 it has a remu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_Premier's_Prize_for_…

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 6: “In Australia, on average, private school fees (including additional costs) sit at around $8,973 for each year of schooling per student.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general definitions of 'average' and general information about Australia, but contains no data regarding specific private school fee amounts.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Australia first competed at the Games, then titled the British Empire Games, in 1930; and is one of only six countries to have sent athletes to every Commonwealth Games. The others are Canada, England…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_at_the_Commonwealth_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Taskmaster Australia is an Australian comedy panel game show first broadcast on Network 10 on 2 February 2023. Based on the British show Taskmaster created by comedian Alex Horne, the program revolves…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taskmaster_Australia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It has a land area of 7,688,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 7: “Australia is among some of the most segregated school systems in the OECD.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 8: “Other than the ACT, most public schools across other states and territories do not currently receive their minimum amount of funding as calculated by the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS).”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 9: “About 41% of respondents said they would still enrol their child in a private school even if their local public school was better funded while the remaining 21% said they were unsure.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 10: “Private school peak body Independent Schools Australia surveyed 1,508 parents who have kids in independent schools.”

VERIFIED

The claim is directly supported by 'The Sen Times' (via the evidence provided for claim 7), which specifies that Independent Schools Australia surveyed 1,508 parents.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Education in Australia encompasses the sectors of early childhood education (preschool and pre-primary) and primary education (primary schools), followed by secondary education (high schools and senio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Australia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local gover…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_school

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The King's School is an independent Anglican, early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school for boys, located in North Parramatta in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Aus…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King's_School,_Parramatta

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 11: “An Australia Institute study published in June... The survey asked 2,230 Australian adults questions about primary and secondary school funding.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 12: “Costs can total over $100,000 over the course of an K-12 private school education.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provided contains irrelevant results (Minecraft, MRI scans, US healthcare) and general definitions of K-12, but no data regarding the total cost of K-12 education in Australia.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kmart Australia Limited ( KAY-mart), trading as Kmart, is an Australian chain of discount department stores owned by the Kmart Group division of Wesfarmers. Kmart operates stores in Australia and New …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kmart_Australia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — K–12 (from kindergarten to twelfth grade) is an English language expression that indicates the range of years of publicly supported primary and secondary education found in the United States and Canad…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K–12

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — K–12 (pronounced "K through 12") is the second studio album by American singer Melanie Martinez. It was released with an accompanying film of the same name on September 6, 2019, through Atlantic Recor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K–12_(album)

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 13: “Indeed, Australia’s private schools charge some of the highest fees in the OECD.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 14: “Nor do tuition fees impact the amount of government funding independent schools receive.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 15: “The proportion of Australian students attending independent schools has jumped from 13% in 2006 to 17% in 2025.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this claim.

info

Claim 16: “Of those surveyed, 75% had adjusted their household budget in the last year to remain in their selected schools.”

SINGLE SOURCE

Only one source ('Families say they are struggling to pay school fees' via The Sen Times) confirms that 75% of surveyed parents adjusted their household budget. Another source ('The Bursar AU') mentions a different 75% figure regarding economic outlook, which is not the same claim.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Of those surveyed, 75% had adjusted their household budget in the last year to remain in their selected schools. More than half reported struggling to pay school fees, and 28% said they had also cut b…
https://theconversation.com/families-say-they-are-struggling…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 75 per cent of parents think the national economy will not get better over the next 6 months with 38 per cent of parents saying it is headed in the wrong direction. 78 per cent of parents would need t…
https://thebursar.com.au/cost-of-living-crisis-hitting-indep…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Watch your favorite song by clicking a title below: 0:08 Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed 3:15 Old MacDonald Had a Farm 5:47 Wheels on the Bus 2 9:15 Finger Family 11:28 Happy Birthday 13:39 Twi…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX_GCvz48O0

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Claim 17: “Enrolments at Catholic schools didn’t change much throughout this period and remained at around 20%.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 18: “In 2024, the average tuition fee for a Year 12 student in an independent school (also known as private schools) in NSW was A$15,674.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources ('CHILD Magazines' and 'The Sen Times') explicitly state that the average tuition fee for a Year 12 student in NSW in 2024 was A$15,674.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 1 January 2024, at 16:10:09 JST (07:10:09 UTC), a MJMA7.6 (Mw7.5) earthquake struck 6 km (3.7 mi) north-northeast of Suzu, located on the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. The reverse-f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Noto_earthquake

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 New Year's Smash was a professional wrestling television special produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It was the fifth annual New Year's Smash and took place on December 22, 2024, at the Ha…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_Smash_(2024)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — NOAH The New Year 2024 was a professional wrestling event promoted by CyberFight's sub-brand Pro Wrestling Noah and it took place on January 2, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan, at the Ariake Arena. Broadcasting…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_The_New_Year_2024

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 19: “In Australia, there is no regulation around how much non-government schools can charge, such as price caps.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 20: “research has shown the measure has worked in countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Belgium. These countries have either prohibited or regulated school tuition fees where they also receive government funding.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 21: “The survey also reported “one in five receive financial support from other family members”.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim that 'one in five receive financial support from other family members' is reported by only one source ('Families say they are struggling to pay school fees' via The Sen Times).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Private school peak body Independent Schools Australia surveyed 1,508 parents who have kids in independent schools.The survey also reported “one in five receive financial support from other family mem…
https://theconversation.com/families-say-they-are-struggling…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Independent schools are most expensive in Melbourne, costing $435,902, while Western Australia is the priciest for regional and remote schools at $275,639. Families value education, with nine in 10 sa…
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/the-cost-of-educating-ch…

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web search NEUTRAL — Around 64% of parents with Gen Z children, aged 18 to 28, said their adult kids still rely on them for money, housing, or other financial support, according to a 2026 survey from Wells Fargo.
https://dnyuz.com/2026/08/02/two-thirds-of-parents-say-their…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.