Private schools in South Africa have hiked fees for 2024, with at least six now charging more than R350,000 a year for boarding and tuition.

Hilton College in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands retains its title as the most expensive school in the country, with its annual fees (which only allows for boarding) at R397,660 for 2024 – up 7.5% from last year.

When BusinessTech first began to track the most expensive schools in 2014, Hilton College was the only school priced over R200,000 for boarding and tuition. In 2024, Hilton College will have almost doubled this figure.

In 2024, six elite schools now exceed R350,000 for tuition and boarding – a title Hilton College held alone in 2023.

MichaelHouse, St Andrew’s College in Makhanda, Roedean School for Girls, St John’s College, and Kearsney College have joined the R350,000-plus club.

2022 marked the first time a private school in South Africa passed the R200,000 mark for day school learners.

In 2024, there are now three, with Kearsney College now charging R240,900 for tuition – followed by St John’s College (R206,768) and Roedean School for Girls (R203,607) in Johannesburg.

Fees for day schoolers increased at an average of 7.3% across the schools we assessed, though the range is quite wide – from an increase of 2.3% at one school to hikes up to almost 25% at another. Among the top 10 most expensive schools, the hikes were around 6.7%.

For boarding schools, a similar pattern was seen, with an average increase of around 7.3% and the upper end at 7.1%.

The price hikes are higher than inflation in 2023, which ended the year at 5.5% in November, which could be a concern for those entering into the new year under the financial strain experienced in 2023.

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Note: The fees listed below are as they appear on the various schools’ web pages and cover termly board and/or annual tuition only. Fees are for the highest level of learning available (up to grade 12). We’ve included the annual increase for schools where we have historical data. Lists are not comprehensive as some schools have not publicly published 2024 fee schedules.

Boarding schools

School	Location	2023 fees	2024 fees	%
Hilton	Hilton, KZN	R369 920	R397 660	7.5%
MichaelHouse	Balgowan, KZN	R347 680	R368 000	5.8%
St Andrew’s College	Makhanda, EC	R340 869	R363 879	6.8%
Roedean School for Girls	Johannesburg, GP	R338 428	R360 087	6.4%
St John’s College	Johannesburg, GP	R331 091	R352 612	6.5%
Kearsney College	Botha’s Hill, KZN	R326 480	R350 130	7.2%
Bishops College	Cape Town, WC	R311 960	R341 430	9.4%
St Mary’s	Johannesburg, GP	R313 990	R335 470	6.8%
St Alban’s College	Pretoria, GP	R307 350	R328 920	7.0%
Diocesan School for Girls	Makhanda, EC	R299 100	R323 040	8.0%
St Andrew’s School for Girls, Senderwood	Johannesburg, GP	R299 000	R320 680	7.3%
Kingswood College	Makhanda, EC	R292 710	R318 210	8.7%
St Stithians College	Johannesburg, GP	R280 065	R302 470	8.0%
St Anne’s Diocesan College	Hilton, KZN	R272 112	R293 340	7.8%
St David’s Marist Inanda	Johannesburg, GP	R269 910	R292 840	8.5%
Crawford College North Coast	Ballito, KZN	R269 400	R290 100	7.7%
Somerset College	Stellenbosch, WC	R265 600	R285 500	7.5%
Epworth High School for Girls	Pietermaritzburg, KZN	R261 757	R282 501	7.9%
St Benedict’s College	Johannesburg, GP	R260 670	R281 854	8.1%
Bridge House	Franschhoek, WC	R264 600	R281 750	6.5%
Durban Girls’ College	Durban, KZN	R255 700	R274 200	7.2%
Herschel Girls School	Cape Town, WC	R252 410	R271 780	7.7%
Treverton College	Mooi River, KZN	R249 056	R263 996	6.0%
Uplands College	White River, MP	R247 500	R262 200	5.9%
St Charles College	Pietermaritzburg, KZN	R243 900	R260 950	7.0%
St Martin’s College	Johannesburg, GP	R235 000	R246 750	5.0%
Woodridge College	Thornhill, EC	R229 389	R247 740	8.0%

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Day schools

School	Location	2023 fees	2024 fees	%
Kearsney College	Botha’s Hill, KZN	R224 620	R240 900	7.3%
St John’s College	Johannesburg, GP	R194 148	R206 768	6.5%
Roedean School for Girls	Johannesburg, GP	R191 181	R203 607	6.5%
Bishops College	Cape Town, WC	R185 020	R199 650	7.9%
Clifton School	Durban, KZN	R179 119	R186 426	4.1%
Crawford College Sandton	Johannesburg, GP	R178 000	R189 570	6.5%
St Mary’s, Waverly	Johannesburg, GP	R176 640	R189 880	7.5%
St Alban’s College	Johannesburg, GP	R174 750	R187 020	7.0%
King David High School	Johannesburg, GP	R174 360	R188 160	7.9%
Kingsmead College	Johannesburg, GP	R170 365	R181 440	6.5%
Cedarwood School	Johannesburg, GP	R168 272	R177 526	5.5%
Crawford College La Lucia	Durban, KZN	R165 000	R175 730	6.5%
Redhill School	Johannesburg, GP	R162 500	R166 250	2.3%
Crawford College Lonehill	Johannesburg, GP	R162 000	R172 530	6.5%
St Stithians College	Johannesburg, GP	R161 480	R174 410	8.0%
St Andrew’s School for Girls, Senderwood	Johannesburg, GP	R161 095	R172 990	7.4%
St David’s Marist Inanda	Johannesburg, GP	R160 230	R174 340	8.8%
SAHETI	Johannesburg, GP	R159 115	R169 458	6.5%
Crawford College Pretoria	Tshwane, GP	R159 000	R169 340	6.5%
Beaulieu College	Johannesburg, GP	R149 793	R168 714	12.6%
St Andrew’s College	Makhanda, EC	R152 364	R162 648	6.7%
Kingswood College	Makhanda, EC	R150 900	R162 210	7.5%
St Benedict’s College	Johannesburg, GP	R150 670	R162 724	8.0%
Diocesan School for Girls	Makhanda, EC	R149 858	R161 849	8.0%
Herzlia High School	Cape Town, WC	R148 800	R161 004	8.2%
Brescia House	Johannesburg, GP	R148 105	R157 645	6.4%
St Anne’s Diocesan College	Pietermaritzburg, KZN	R147 060	R158 540	7.8%
Woodridge College	Thornhill, EC	R145 975	R151 347	3.7%
St Charles College	Pietermaritzburg, KZN	R143 100	R153 500	7.3%
Bridge House	Franschhoek, WC	R142 600	R151 800	6.5%
Crawford College North Coast	Ballito, KZN	R142 000	R151 230	6.5%
Somerset College	Stellenbosch, WC	R141 300	R151 900	7.5%
Durban Girls’ College	Durban, KZN	R140 800	R151 000	7.2%
St Peter’s College, Sunninghill	Johannesburg, GP	R139 866	R146 912	5.0%
Herschel Girls’ School	Cape Town, WC	R136 300	R148 400	8.9%
Holy Rosary School	Johannesburg, GP	R134 965	R168 320	24.7%
Michael Mount Waldorf School	Johannesburg, GP	R129 511	R142 075	9.7%
Uplands College	White River, MP	R129 500	R137 200	5.9%
Oak Hill College	Knysna, EC	R128 065	R136 565	6.6%
Crawford College Ruimsig	Ruimsig, GP	R126 000	R134 190	6.5%
Epworth High School for Girls	Pietermaritzburg, KZN	R124 755	R134 112	7.5%
Treverton College	Mooi River, KZN	R121 116	R128 380	6.0%
St Martins College	Johannesburg, GP	R120 000	R126 000	5%

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