Australia has one of the world’s most privatised high school systems. These schools charge families high and rising fees and receive significant government funding. This paper reveals that Australia is the most expensive place in the developed world for families to send a child to high school. It finds there is no evidence that the significant expense of privatised school education has boosted Australia’s education performance.

The Australian system of privatised schooling is costly and creates an ever-growing gap between the non-educational experience of students at wealthy private schools and students at underfunded public schools. Without policy change, the inequality between private and public education will continue to grow, and Australian students, along with the Australian community and economy, will suffer.

Key findings

• More than 40% of Australian high school students now attend private schools. If the current trend continues, most Australian high school students will attend private schools by 2055.
• Despite increasingly high fees, private schools don't offer a substantially better education than public schools. Research shows gaps in test results are mainly due to differences in the socio-economic background of students, rather than the quality of the teaching.
• Private schools that have enough money to build swimming pools and horse stables still receive significant public support. At the same time, public schools face a funding shortfall of over $4 billion.