Most expensive schools in South Africa

With an annual fee of R209,000, Hilton College in Kwa-Zulu Natal is South Africa’s most expensive private school.

The all-boys boarding school, located near Hilton in the KZN Midlands, was founded in 1872 and sits on an over 1,700 hectare piece of land, which includes its own wildlife reserve.

Hilton, along with MichaelHouse, the second most expensive private school in the country, are of the only remaining schools that are pure boarding schools, that do not offer day student education.

MichaelHouse is also located in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal.

So what will R209,000 at Hilton College get you? Aside from the prestigious location and tradition, the fees cover tuition, board, games, ordinary medical attention, the use of the sanatorium, library and laundry.

It also includes basic entertainment which is arranged for all boys, games transport and simple mending materials.

The fees listed below are what parents can expect to pay for a full senior year at some of South Africa’s most elite private schools, including boarding, at the latest-available rates.

It most be noted that most schools do not include additional fees in this amount. Additional fees can typically relate to various levies, such as IT and infrastructure, as well as further costs for food, extra mural activities and trips.

Entry fees have been noted in the table below for institutions where it has been explicitly stated.

Hilton College – R209,000 – KZN Midlands

MichaelHouse – R192,000 – KZN Midlands

St Martins – R184,460 – Johannesburg

St Andrews College – R182,700 – Grahamstown

Kearsney College – R181,350 – KZN Midlands

Roedean School for Girls – R181,140 – Johannesburg

St Alban’s College – R181,000 – Pretoria

St Andrews School for Girls – R174,860 – Johannesburg

St Johns – R178,523 – Johannesburg

St Mary’s School – Waverly – R173,700

Bishops – R168,140 – Cape Town

Somerset College – R167,736 – Somerset West

St Stithians – R166,691 – Sandton

St Mary’s DSG – R166,155 – Pretoria

Kingswood College – R158,355 – Grahamstown

Diocesan School for Girls – R157,590 – Grahamstown

Herschel Girls’ School – R157,560 – Cape Town

The Wykeham Collegiate – R154,820 – Pietermaritzburg

Bridge House – R149,490 –  Franschoek

St Cyprians – R148,560 – Cape Town

St Anne’s Diocesan College – R146,200 – KZN Midlands

Treverton College – R142,400 – KZN Midlands

SA’s most expensive private schools (Above R140,000)

School	Annual Fee (Boarding)	Annual Fee (Day)	Entry Fee
Hilton College	R209,000	N/A	R52,250
MichaelHouse	R192,000	N/A	R24,000
St Martins	R184,460	R71,460	R12,000
St Andrews	R182,700	R81,600	R15,225
Kearsney College	R181,350	R124,800	R17,400
Roedean School for Girls	R181,140	R99,234	–
St Alban’s College	R181,000*	R102,900	R55,000
St Johns	R178,523	R105,760	R61,348**
St Andrews School for Girls	R174,860	R94,380	–
St Mary’s School for Girls	R173,700*	R92,450	R34,950**
Bishops	R168,140	R96,360	R20,000
Somerset College	R167,736*	R89,904	R22,000
St Stithians	R166,691	R96,119	R10,000
St Mary’s DSG	R166,155*	R90,630	–
Kingswood College	R158,355	R82,920	R10,700
Diocesan School for Girls	R157,590	R82,320	R35,200
Herschel Girls’ School	R157,560*	R78,960	R10,000
The Wykeham Collegiate	R154,820*	R83,500	R4,000
Bridge House	R149,490*	R81,680	R3,500
St Cyprians	R148,560	R76,560	R7,500
St Anne’s School for Girls	R146,200	R80,000	R34,000
Treverton College	R142,400	R69,600	R5,000

* 2015 fees ** Refundable deposit

However, even South Africa’s most expensive schools don’t quite match up to the fees charged by private schools in the USA.

Lawrenceville, in New Jersey, charges upwards of $44,800 (over R500,000) per year for its education; with other private schools such as Salisbury School in Conneticut and Riverdale Country School and Birch Wathen Lenox School in New York, charging students around $43,000 per year.

The title of most expensive school in the world belong to Swiss school, Institut Le Rosey, which charges annual fees of over $120,000 (R1.35 million) – with royalty, monarchs and celebrities amongst some of its more notable alumni.

Are there any high-cost schools we missed? Please let us know in the comments.

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