By Sarah Nicholson
Education is still one of the best investments a family can make, but it’s also one of the easiest ways to blow up a household budget when you are already juggling debt.
School fees rarely arrive alone. They bring uniforms, textbooks, stationery, transport, sports costs, extra lessons, devices, and the “small” extras that don’t feel small when they land in the same month.
And right now, many South Africans don’t have the breathing room for surprise expenses.
JustMoney’s recent Money & Me survey found that more than a third of respondents spend up to 40% of their take-home income on debt repayments. That’s money that can’t go to school costs — or to groceries, petrol, and electricity.
The survey also highlights how tight the basics have become: if given R1,000, 75% of women and 67% of men would spend it on groceries, while 15% would use it for debt, bills, school expenses, and saving.
That context matters because it changes how we should think about “affording good education”. It becomes less about last-minute scrambling and more about deliberate preparation: disciplined budgeting, informed choices, and decisions made early enough to protect your household from relying on expensive credit.
What schooling is costing, nationally
Stats SA tracks education costs in two ways:
- Education price index (EPI): based on a basket of items like school fees, textbooks, uniforms, and stationery.
- School fees measure: focused only on tuition and levies — excluding uniforms, transport, and learning materials.
In 2025, the overall EPI increased by 4.5%, while school fees increased by 5%. The increases were lower than the previous year, but many families across income levels still struggle to keep up.
Stats SA’s 2023 General Household Survey estimated around 15.4 million school learners in 2023. Among learners who dropped out before turning 18, the most cited reasons were poor performance (29.1%) and lack of money (19.5%).
Those statistics are sobering, because they show that affordability isn’t a side issue, it shapes outcomes.
Most families weigh up public schools, private day schools, boarding schools, and increasingly, online options. The mistake many parents make is comparing only tuition, instead of total “cost to educate”.
Public schools include no-fee schools, fee-charging schools, and schools serving learners with disabilities or special needs.
Two-thirds of learners attend no-fee schools, according to Stats SA’s 2023 survey (from 87% in Limpopo to 51% in the Western Cape). But “no-fee” doesn’t mean “no cost”. Uniforms, transport, stationery, and other contributions still add up quickly.
For fee-paying public schools, costs vary widely, but parents pay, on average, around R24,000 a year for primary school and R36,000 for high school.
Private school fees also range dramatically. Typical private primary school fees average R66,000 to R72,000 per year, with high school fees averaging R100,000 to R105,000 per year, and elite schools may charge far more.
Boarding adds a separate layer of cost, and for many households, it’s a long-term commitment that can crowd out other financial goals.
At the top end, annual tuition and boarding packages can exceed R200,000 a year. For example, Michaelhouse in KwaZulu-Natal charged R392,000 for annual board and tuition in 2025, plus a voluntary development levy, and a sizeable non-refundable acceptance fee.
Online schooling has gained popularity since the Covid-19 period, partly because it offers flexibility and structure without the physical overheads of some traditional options.
Virtual programmes typically include a set curriculum, timetables, live teaching sessions, and managed assessments. According to the admissions team at Teneo online school, 2026 monthly fees for Grade R and Grade 1 are R4,800 per month for live online classes, or R3,800 per month for a mixed model of live and pre-recorded sessions.
Making school fees manageable without making debt worse
This is the part parents often want to skip, but it’s the part that protects you.
Start with a realistic budget. List every annual cost per child: tuition/school fees, uniforms, stationery and textbooks, transport, meals, sport, extra-murals, devices and data, trips, tutoring, and a contingency amount. If you don’t list it, you’ll fund it with stress or credit.
Use payment timing strategically. Spreading fees monthly or termly can ease cash-flow pressure and reduce the temptation to swipe a credit card during peak months. But if you have savings and can afford it, paying annually can be worthwhile because some schools offer discounts for upfront payments. The best option depends on your income pattern, the size of your emergency buffer, and whether a large once-off payment will leave you exposed.
Look for support early. Ask about bursaries, sibling discounts, and payment plans. Know the deadlines. Competition is real, and schools will usually require documents and proof. Good records help you budget, and they matter when you apply for means-tested assistance.
Cut costs without cutting quality. Consider second-hand uniforms and sports equipment, shared lifts or transport, and be honest about whether extra lessons are essential.
Maximise loyalty programmes. If you’re going to spend anyway, make it work harder. Platforms like School-Days® allow you to nominate a beneficiary to receive Education Time Points (ETPs), with each ETP valued at R1. ETPs can be earned via partner spending and engagement, including Plan to Pay through Standard Bank, and UCount points can be converted into ETPs.
Longer-term planning: building an education fund
If you want to reduce pressure year after year, you need a longer runway. Options include:
- Tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs): growth is tax-free (interest, dividends and capital gains). Contribution limits are R36,000 per tax year and R500,000 lifetime.
- Unit trusts/managed funds: potentially higher returns, but higher risk — best for money you won’t need for several years.
- Fixed-term deposits/notice accounts: more conservative, typically lower risk and lower returns.
- Education savings plans/endowments: long-term products where you contribute regularly and receive a lump sum at maturity; often include life cover. Read fees and surrender rules carefully.
The cost of education can be daunting, but planning helps reduce the pressure, especially at a time when many households are already under financial strain. I often tell families, the earlier you prepare, the less likely you are to rely on debt to fund schooling.
And if you’re saving for several children, planning for private or tertiary education, or considering offshore options, it’s worth consulting a qualified financial planner who understands education funding and the South African tax and regulatory environment.
Sarah Nicholson is head of customer experience at JustMoney.
