When I was 12 years old my parents gave me a choice. I could stay at the leafy-green Perth private school I’d cracked into that year on an academic scholarship, or move to a selective public school.
At the time, I shrugged my shoulders: I liked where I was, but wondered what a change might bring. In a decision that felt like a coin toss, I went down the public school path.
Illustration: Andrew Dyson
My decision was not guided by whether I might ultimately earn more as the graduate of a public, rather than a private, school. But that is a preoccupation for aspirational parents who often pay huge premiums to send their children to private schools, ranging from relatively lower-fee Catholic system schools to exclusive institutions charging more than $45,000 a year. The huge cost many families are willing to cop suggests there are benefits to kids attending private school.
Is it worth it? A 2021 University of New England study found no difference in academic performance between children attending public and private schools – as measured by the national literacy and numeracy assessment program (NAPLAN) – once adjusting for socioeconomic background.
But Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research associate professor Gary Marks found students who went to a private school achieved ATAR ranks five or six points higher than those who went to a public school.
“There is an incremental benefit, beyond that of socioeconomic status, of going to a private school, to an independent school, followed by Catholic schools, followed by government schools,” he said.
One thing I remember clearly from my year at a private school is the taste of raisin toast (coated in butter because 12-year-old me didn’t like raisins). Most days after school, a building would be opened up with space for studying, teachers sticking around to answer questions, and an unlimited amount of raisin toast. Then, the library would be open late into the evening.
After moving to Western Australia’s only selective school the library hours were shorter, study sessions were small and sparse and there was no raisin toast in sight – despite the school’s drive to foster academic performance. Resourcing at public schools often falls short of private schools, which can make educational support less accessible.
Families earning higher incomes can supplement this with private tutoring, but it’s often the students at public schools, whose parents are less likely to have the means to provide that support, who are doubly disadvantaged. Even something as trivial as providing food after school can make it easier for vulnerable students, who would otherwise have to study on an empty stomach.
Private school graduates tend to earn more. Why? It’s complicated
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08.01.2024
When I was 12 years old my parents gave me a choice. I could stay at the leafy-green Perth private school I’d cracked into that year on an academic scholarship, or move to a selective public school.
At the time, I shrugged my shoulders: I liked where I was, but wondered what a change might bring. In a decision that felt like a coin toss, I went down the public school path.
Illustration: Andrew Dyson
My decision was not guided by whether I might ultimately earn more as the graduate of a public, rather than a private, school. But that is a preoccupation for aspirational parents who often pay huge premiums to send their children to private schools, ranging from relatively........
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