Canberra’s independent schools are lifting Year 7 charges by 5.5% to 9.0% for 2027, a median of 7.5% across the seven that have published both years. Canberra Grammar’s Year 7 tuition goes from $33,705 to $36,064, Canberra Girls Grammar’s from $31,150 to $33,330 and Orana Steiner’s from $14,264 to $15,548. Of the ACT’s five Catholic colleges only St John Paul II has published a 2027 schedule; Merici says its families will hear in December 2026.
These are fees as published by each school for 2026 and for 2027, read from the schools’ own fee schedules on 18 October 2026. Where a school has not yet published its 2027 fees, the table shows its 2026 fee and when to expect the new one.
Key takeaways
- Nine Canberra schools have published 2027 fees (eight independents and St John Paul II College). Seven of them have both years confirmed from the schools’ own documents, and their Year 7 charges rise by 5.5% to 9.0%, a median of 7.5%.
- Canberra Grammar is the highest at $36,064 for Year 7 and $37,322 for Years 11–12 in 2027 ($33,705 and $34,880 in 2026). Canberra Girls Grammar follows at $33,330 for Years 7–8.
- Radford has changed how it prints its fees. Printed tuition rises 4.0%, from $25,050 to $26,040, but the 2027 schedule adds a separate $1,050 levy per child. Tuition plus the fixed levies rises 7.6%. Radford also adds a 2.5% discount for a second child and 2% off for paying the year by 8 January 2027.
- Burgmann’s family capital contribution jumps 43%, from $700 to $1,000 a year, while its tuition rises 7.5%.
- Catholic fees: the reported figures leave out a levy. The Archdiocese has announced rises of up to 7.5% at four colleges and 6% at St John Paul II. The family building levy reaches $1,000 in 2027. St John Paul II’s own Year 12 total is $15,757; the $14,757 reported in the press omits the building levy.
- At the Catholic colleges the levy decides the bill. Year 7 tuition is the same ($6,115–$6,116) at every one, while the college levy runs from $2,868 to $6,480.
- Five schools take 2% to 5% off for paying the year upfront in 2027: Radford, Canberra Girls Grammar, Covenant, Orana Steiner and Emmaus.
How much each school is lifting Year 7 charges for 2027
Change from each school's own 2026 schedule to its own 2027 schedule, on the same basis
Orana Steiner
Year 7 tuition
+9.0%
Emmaus Christian
Years 7–8 tuition
+8.1%
Tuition plus fixed levies
+7.6%
Burgmann Anglican
Years 6–8 tuition
+7.5%
Canberra Grammar
Year 7 tuition
+7.0%
Canberra Girls Grammar
Years 7–8 tuition
+7.0%
St John Paul II College
Catholic tuition, set centrally
+6.0%
Covenant Christian
Tuition plus the 2026 camp
+5.5%
So what: the middle of the seven independents that have published both years is 7.5%, with a range of 5.5% to 9.0%. The dollars differ more than the percentages: $2,359 more at Canberra Grammar, $1,284 at Orana Steiner.
Source: each school’s published 2026 and 2027 fee schedules, read 18 October 2026; percentages are AroundSchools arithmetic · aroundschools.com.au
Which Canberra schools have published 2027 fees?
Year 7 tuition as each school prints it, unless the note says otherwise. Totals add every levy the schedule lists as compulsory for Year 7; one-off enrolment fees and optional extras are left out.
| School | Year 7, 2026 | Year 7, 2027 | Change | What else changed for 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canberra Grammar | $33,705 | $36,064 | +7.0% | Device levy $880 a year (was $800); $35 family levy; one-off School Renewal Charge $3,425 (was $3,200); outdoor education billed per day on top. Compulsory total $36,979 |
| Canberra Girls Grammar | $31,150 (Years 7–8) | $33,330 | +7.0% | Resource levy $2,300 (was $2,150), which includes camp and laptop; development contribution $300 (was $285); $50 family levy. Compulsory total $35,980 |
| Radford College | $25,050 (a) | $26,040 (a) | +4.0% printed, +7.6% with fixed levies | New $1,050 levy line; capital levy $1,630 (unchanged); resource levy $863 (was $795); Year 7 camp $725 (was $1,240); $40 family levy. Compulsory total $30,348 with the camp |
| Burgmann Anglican | $15,900 (Years 6–8) | $17,100 | +7.5% | Fixed levy $1,620 (was $1,512), which covers camps and excursions; family capital contribution $1,000 (was $700). Compulsory total $19,720 |
| Orana Steiner | $14,264 | $15,548 | +9.0% | The schedule lists no levies; a $500 building-fund donation is recommended, not compulsory. Every year level rises 9.0% |
| Trinity Christian | about $14,355 (b) | $15,565 | about +8.4% | One annual fee with no levies listed, and the schedule does not say what it covers; the second child pays $12,625 and the third $8,220 |
| Emmaus Christian | $9,440 (Years 7–8) | $10,200 | +8.1% | Capital levy $1,300 per family (was $1,200); its 2026 schedule says tuition covers camps and excursions; ends at Year 10 |
| Covenant Christian | $8,940 + $600 camp (c) | $10,060 | +5.5% | Price for a family’s first secondary student; the 2027 page lists no separate camp; capital levy $600 per family (was $560); ends at Year 10 |
| St John Paul II College (Catholic) | $6,116 (set centrally) | $6,482 | +6.0% | College levy $6,429, which covers curriculum activities, excursions and incursions, plus the $1,000 building levy: $13,911 in total for Years 7–8 |
(a) Radford prints its 2026 tuition as one figure and its 2027 tuition plus a separate $1,050 levy. The +7.6% compares tuition plus fixed levies in each year: $26,680 in 2026 ($25,050 tuition plus the $1,630 capital levy) against $28,720 in 2027 ($26,040 tuition, the $1,050 levy and the capital levy). An earlier version of this guide showed $24,000 for Radford’s 2026 tuition; Radford’s own 2026 schedule prints $25,050.
(b) Trinity replaced its 2026 schedule with the 2027 one on 12 October. The 2026 figure is the one we recorded from the school’s schedule in September, and it matches the figure a comparison site lists for 2026. It is left out of the median.
(c) Covenant’s 2026 figures come from the school’s fee page as archived on 20 May 2026. The +5.5% compares $9,540 ($8,940 tuition plus the $600 camp) with $10,060; the headline step from $8,940 to $10,060 is +12.5%.
Which schools are still on 2026 fees?
Nine schools had not published 2027 fees on 18 October 2026. Totals are what a family pays for a first child in Year 7 in 2026: tuition plus every levy the schedule lists as compulsory, camps where the school bills them separately, and the $625 per-family levy at the Catholic colleges.
| School | Year 7 tuition, 2026 | Compulsory extras | Year 7 total, 2026 | When 2027 fees are due |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merici College (Catholic) | $6,116 | College levy $6,480, camp $639, family levy $625 | $13,860 | December 2026, says the college’s 2027 handbook |
| St Clare’s College (Catholic) | $6,116 | College levy $4,988 (camps inside), family levy $625 | $11,729 | Not yet published |
| St Francis Xavier College (Catholic) | $6,115 | College levy $4,840 (camps inside), family levy $625 | $11,580 | Not yet published |
| St Mary MacKillop College (Catholic) | $6,116 | College levy $2,868, camps $516, family levy $625 | $10,125 | Not yet published |
| Daramalan College (Years 7–8) | $7,890 | Levy $4,906, family levy $100 | $12,896 | Not yet published |
| St Edmund’s College (boys) | $7,500 | General levy $3,825, camps inside | $11,325 | Usually late November, says the school |
| Blue Gum Community (to Year 10) | $10,600 | Course materials $1,240, camps $560–$590 | $12,400–$12,430 | Not yet published |
| Brindabella Christian (Years 7–8) | $14,730 all-in | Camps, excursions and the laptop loan are inside; the $1,800 family capital levy was dropped from 2026 | $14,730 | Not yet published |
| Islamic School of Canberra | $3,800 | ICT levy $400; the page does not say how often the fee is billed, so confirm it with the school | $4,200 | Not yet published |
Across these 17 schools, 2026 Year 7 tuition runs from $3,800 to $33,705 with a median of $9,440. Adding compulsory levies, the median Year 7 bill is $12,896. Both medians rest on the 2026 schedules, because not every school has 2027 fees yet.
At the Catholic colleges, the levy sets the bill
At Canberra’s Catholic colleges the levy, not the tuition, sets the Year 7 bill
Year 7, 2026 · grey = tuition (the same at every college) · yellow = college levy, camps and the $625 family levy
Year 7 total, camp included
$13,860
Camps are inside the levy
$11,729
Camps are inside the levy
$11,580
Camps billed separately
$10,125
So what: Merici and St Mary MacKillop bill identical tuition, and the Year 7 bill still differs by $3,735 a year.
Source: each college’s 2026 fee schedule, read 18 October 2026 · totals are for a family’s first child · aroundschools.com.au
Canberra’s five systemic Catholic colleges bill the same tuition because the Archdiocese sets it centrally: $6,116 for Year 7 and $7,623–$7,624 for Year 12 in 2026. What differs is the college levy, which each college sets. Merici’s Year 7 levy ($6,480) is larger than its tuition, and a family comparing Merici with St Mary MacKillop on tuition alone would see no difference when the bill differs by $3,735 a year.
The same gap shows up outside the Catholic sector. Daramalan’s $7,890 tuition looks close to a Catholic college until its $4,906 levy is added, which takes the bill to $12,796.
What the 2027 Catholic announcement means
Late in September the Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Education Ltd told families that ACT primary fees rise by up to 6%, and fees at four of the five secondary colleges by 7.5% (6% at St John Paul II), as Region Canberra reported on 29 September 2026. None of the college documents we read states those percentages, so treat them as the Archdiocese’s announcement.
- Only St John Paul II has published a 2027 schedule. Years 7–8 total $13,911 (tuition $6,482, college levy $6,429, building levy $1,000). Year 12 totals $15,757.
- The building levy finishes its phase-in. It was $300 a family in 2025 and $625 in 2026; the colleges’ own pages put it at $1,000 for 2027. It is billed once per family, on the eldest child’s account.
- Check what a quoted fee includes. The Year 12 figure reported for St John Paul II was $14,757; the college’s own total is $15,757 because the $1,000 building levy is on top.
- The other four colleges. Merici’s 2027 handbook says its 2027 tuition and local adjustments will reach parents in December 2026. Read the schedule when it arrives and compare totals, not tuition.
Brothers and sisters, and paying upfront
Discounts are part of the real price, and several changed for 2027. Each row comes from the school’s own schedule.
| School | Second child | Third child | Paying the year upfront |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canberra Grammar | 7.5% off tuition | 15% off | No discount offered |
| Canberra Girls Grammar | 7.5% off tuition | 15% off | 3% off if paid by the first day of Term 1 |
| Radford College | 2.5% off tuition and fixed levies (new for 2027) | 15% off (was 10%) | 2% off if paid by 8 January 2027 (new for 2027) |
| Burgmann Anglican | 5% off tuition | 20% off | No upfront discount listed |
| Orana Steiner | 10% off tuition | 20% off | 5% off if paid by 12 February 2027 |
| Emmaus Christian | No discount listed | No discount listed; 25% off all tuition once a fourth child attends | 5% off tuition if paid by week 2 of Term 1 |
| Covenant Christian | Built into the price table | Built into the price table | 4% off if tuition is paid by the end of week 1 of Term 1 |
| Catholic colleges | 20% off tuition | 50% off | Not listed |
What this guide leaves out
We don’t rank these schools on quality. We hold no NAPLAN, ATAR or ICSEA results for ACT schools. For outcomes, use My School or the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies.
We don’t mix bases. Schools publish fees in different ways: Trinity and Brindabella as one all-in figure, Emmaus with camps inside tuition, Daramalan and St Edmund’s as tuition plus a levy, Covenant by family size, Orana with no levies listed. Where a schedule does not say what its fee covers (Orana, Trinity, Islamic School of Canberra), ask before you compare it with a school that itemises. Brindabella publishes its schedule through a sharing link on its fees page rather than as a web page; ask the school for the current copy before you rely on a comparison site.
The help ACT families can claim
The Future of Education Equity Fund pays $400 per preschooler, $500 per primary student and $750 per high-school or college student to eligible ACT families. It is means-tested: a current Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, or other evidence of low income. Applications for the 2026 round close at midnight on 27 November 2026. Our state-by-state guide to school cost help covers the equivalents elsewhere, and bursaries at private schools explains what schools offer themselves.
Frequently asked questions
How much do private schools cost in Canberra in 2027? Nine schools have published 2027 fees so far. Their Year 7 tuition runs from $6,482 at St John Paul II College, whose total with levies is $13,911, to $36,064 at Canberra Grammar. Among the independents it runs from $10,060 at Covenant Christian to $36,064. For 2026, across the 17 schools in this guide, the median Year 7 tuition is $9,440.
What is the most expensive school in Canberra? Canberra Grammar School. Its 2027 Year 7 tuition is $36,064 and Years 11–12 is $37,322, up 7.0% on 2026. Canberra Girls Grammar School is next at $33,330 for Years 7–8 and $36,260 for Years 11–12.
How much are Canberra school fees going up in 2027? For the seven independents that have published both years, Year 7 charges rise by 5.5% to 9.0%, a median of 7.5%. The Catholic Archdiocese has announced rises of up to 7.5% at four colleges, 6% at St John Paul II and up to 6% in primary schools, and a family building levy of $1,000.
Are Catholic schools cheaper in Canberra? Their tuition is lower and identical across colleges, set centrally. The compulsory college levy varies widely, from $2,868 at St Mary MacKillop to $6,480 at Merici in 2026, so the Year 7 bill ranges from $10,125 to $13,860. Compare the levy, not the tuition.
When do Canberra schools publish next year’s fees? Between mid-October and December. Canberra Grammar posted its 2027 schedule on 15 October and says it sets fees in October; Radford uploaded its 2027 schedule on 13 October; St Edmund’s says it usually sets fees in late November; Merici tells parents in December.
Is there fee help for ACT families? Yes. The means-tested Future of Education Equity Fund pays up to $750 per high-school or college student, and 2026 applications close on 27 November 2026. The Catholic colleges run fee reduction schemes for families in hardship, applied for through the college, and other schools have their own, so ask the finance office.
Related reading
- The most expensive schools in Australia (2026) puts Canberra Grammar and Canberra Girls Grammar beside the national list
- Private school fees by capital city compares Canberra’s big schools with the other capitals
- The Year 7 cliff shows when fees step up between primary and secondary
- Browse ACT schools and the ACT school fees pages
How we checked
Each fee comes from the named school’s own published fee schedule for 2026 or 2027, read on 18 October 2026. Covenant’s 2026 figures come from its page as archived on 20 May 2026 and Trinity’s 2026 figure is our September reading, because both schools have since replaced their 2026 pages. Percentages and totals are AroundSchools arithmetic on those figures. Schools set the following year’s fees between October and December, so check the school’s current schedule before you enrol.
Corrections
18 October 2026: updated for the 2027 schedules. Radford’s 2026 Year 7 tuition now follows the school’s own 2026 schedule ($25,050; an earlier version showed $24,000). St Francis Xavier’s Year 7 total now includes the $625 family levy, as for the other Catholic colleges. Orana Steiner, Brindabella Christian, St Clare’s College and St John Paul II College are added.
5 September 2026: an earlier version of this article published materially wrong figures, including $27,450 for Canberra Grammar’s Year 7 fee against an actual $33,705. Those numbers came from our own database, which had not been refreshed against schools’ published schedules. Readers pointed this out publicly and they were right.
