Private school fees in Brisbane: what parents can compare

Families in Brisbane and nearby South East Queensland areas may compare schools across different sectors, campuses, and commute patterns. A school that looks cheaper on annual tuition may not stay cheaper once levies, transport, entry fees, and later year levels are included.

Build the compulsory annual number

Start by adding the charges that are required for enrolment in the relevant year level. Look beyond tuition for technology, resource, building, capital, activity, and family levies, then keep optional programs separate.

Model the actual pathway

Some families plan one school from Prep to Year 12. Others consider a primary school followed by a different secondary school, or a move for senior years. Each pathway has a different cost shape and should be modelled separately.

• Compare Prep with Prep, Year 7 with Year 7, and senior years with senior years.
• Check whether the school publishes year-level fees or broad bands.
• Separate one-off application, confirmation, and enrolment costs.
• Ask how sibling discounts apply when children overlap.
• Include transport and before-school or after-school care where relevant.

For Brisbane families, private school affordability is usually a pathway question. The planner can help compare those pathways using consistent assumptions, while the school's latest fee schedule remains the source to check before enrolment.