Western Australia's independent schools boast world-class academics with a lifestyle that few other Australian states can match. From leafy riverside campuses to coastal schools, the most expensive schools in the state also boast academic excellence. With tuition over $30,000 per year and similar annual amounts for boarding, what makes these expensive schools so good? Here are the 15 most costly private secondary schools in Perth and Western Australia.
| Rank | School | Type | 2025 Tuition Fee | Boarding Fee | Founded | Known For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Presbyterian Ladies’ College (PLC) – Peppermint Grove | Girls’ Day & Boarding | $35,000 (Approx.) | $28,000 (Approx.) | 1915 | Academic excellence, rowing, performing arts, and a picturesque riverside campus |
| 2 | Methodist Ladies’ College (MLC) – Claremont | Girls’ Day & Boarding | $33,000 (Approx.) | $27,500 (Approx.) | 1907 | Music and performing arts, leadership, and strong WACE results |
| 3 | Christ Church Grammar School – Claremont | Boys’ Day | $30,300 (Approx.) | - | 1910 | Academic results, leadership, and sporting excellence |
| 4 | Scotch College – Swanbourne | Boys’ Day & Boarding | $29,600 (Approx.) | $27,500 (Approx.) | 1897 | Rowing and outdoor education, leadership, and community service |
| 5 | Hale School – Wembley Downs | Boys’ Day & Boarding | $28,000 (Approx.) | $27,000 (Approx.) | 1858 | Academic strength, sport, and a rich tradition of scholarship |
| 6 | Wesley College – South Perth | Boys’ Day & Boarding | $27,000 (Approx.) | $26,500 (Approx.) | 1923 | Balanced education, sport, and community leadership |
| 7 | Aquinas College – Salter Point | Boys’ Day & Boarding | $26,500 (Approx.) | $27,500 (Approx.) | 1938 | Catholic heritage, riverside campus, and academic excellence |
| 8 | St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School – Karrinyup | Girls’ Day & Boarding | $25,700 (Approx.) | $27,000 (Approx.) | 1921 | Academic results, performing arts, and pastoral care |
| 9 | Perth College – Mount Lawley | Girls’ Day & Boarding | $25,100 (Approx.) | $26,500 (Approx.) | 1902 | Leadership programs, music, and a strong community focus |
| 10 | Guildford Grammar School – Guildford | Co-ed Day & Boarding | $24,100 (Approx.) | $26,500 (Approx.) | 1896 | Historic grounds, co-education, and outdoor programs |
| 11 | St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls – Mosman Park | Girls’ Day & Boarding | $27,800 (Approx.) | $28,500 (Approx.) | 1896 | Academic outcomes, rowing and sport, and holistic education |
| 12 | Santa Maria College – Attadale | Girls’ Day & Boarding | $24,600 (Approx.) | $27,000 (Approx.) | 1938 | Catholic education, boarding, and creative arts |
| 13 | Penrhos College – Como | Girls’ Day | $24,600 (Approx.) | - | 1952 | STEM and performing arts, pastoral support, and innovation |
| 14 | All Saints’ College – Bull Creek | Co-ed Day | $23,500 (Approx.) | - | 1981 | Innovation, performing arts, and community values |
| 15 | Trinity College – East Perth | Boys’ Day | $23,500 (Approx.) | - | 1962 | Catholic education, sport, and central riverside location |
1. Presbyterian Ladies’ College (PLC) – Peppermint Grove
Though the most expensive schools in WA are nearly half the price of Australia's most expensive schools, all of them are quality establishments. Presbyterian Ladies' College has a clear focus on scholarship, well-being, and opportunity. It's located on a leafy riverside campus and combines academics with music, arts, service, and sports programs. The school offers the WA curriculum, the IB, and co-curricular options. The girls who study here are encouraged to lead, create, and contribute.
2. Methodist Ladies’ College (MLC) – Claremont
Methodist Ladies' College (MLC) is a school that offers a holistic, values-driven education for girls from early learning to Year 12. The college pairs academic breadth with performing arts and music, leadership, and service learning. The school offers a safe, nurturing environment, close pastoral care, and pathways into top universities. Located by Swan River, MLC seeks to help girls find their purpose and develop confidence for life after school.
3. Christ Church Grammar School – Claremont
Like some of NSW's most expensive schools, Christ Church Grammar School (CCGS) is a large Anglican boys' school in Claremont that offers day and boarding for Years 7 to 12. Its academic programs and leadership focus on its "whole boy" philosophy, and facilities include specialist centres for pedagogy, ethics, and well-being, as well as contemporary sport and arts precincts. CCGS is known for combining tradition with a modern, outward-looking approach that encourages character, scholarship, and service.
4. Scotch College – Swanbourne
A leading progressive boys' school from Pre-Kindy to Year 12, Scotch College spans 22 hectares in Swanbourne. Founded in 1897, the school boasts over a century of academic excellence and fostering global citizens through schooling, sport, and performing arts.
5. Hale School – Wembley Downs
Hale School is Western Australia's oldest boys' school, founded around the same time as some of Melbourne's oldest and most prestigious schools. Its focus is on a traditional foundation with a contemporary approach to teaching and learning. The school has provided tailored pedagogy for its students since the mid-19th century. Nowadays, from STEM and digital technologies to well-being, service, and outdoor education, its programs are relevant.
6. Wesley College – South Perth
Wesley College in South Perth is an award-winning boarding and day school. The college promotes vibrant co-curricular schooling with sport, music, drama, and service. The school focuses on relationships, well-being, and purposeful learning and boasts modern facilities and clear leadership pathways.
7. Aquinas College – Salter Point
Aquinas is an all-boys day and boarding school. It's located on a spectacular 69-hectare waterfront campus in Salter Point, 11km south of the CBD. The site features residential houses, sports facilities, and a gymnasium. The school's history, like with Brisbane's top schools, is evident in its heritage buildings, such as the Edmund Rice Administration wing, and it also features sports facilities and a gymnasium. The school's focus is on personal formation, faith, and values, as well as pastoral care.
8. St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School – Karrinyup
St Mary's Anglican Girls' School has a century-long heritage with a contemporary curriculum. It offers tailored teaching for girls, supportive learning environments, and opportunities in academia, music, drama, sport, and outdoor education, all taught in line with Anglican values. Staff are committed to teaching each student well, instilling values of confidence, curiosity, and resilience.
9. Perth College – Mount Lawley
Perth College is an Anglican girls' school in Mount Lawley. It boasts over 120 years of heritage while looking forward with approaches that value collaboration, creativity, and innovation. The campus features modern learning environments and arts spaces where students can enjoy the school's accessible culture and pastoral care. Perth College offers a balanced education where girls are challenged and supported.
10. Guildford Grammar School – Guildford
With the slogan "tradition meets tomorrow", Guildford Grammar School leans on its decades of history while teaching in contemporary classrooms and arts facilities. It focuses on sport, performing arts, outdoor education, and global exchanges to help students discover interests and build resilience. Like some of SA's most prestigious schools, Guildford Grammar School is built on Anglican values and a tight-knit boarding community, the school aims to balance academics with character building.
11. St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls – Mosman Park
St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls' Mosman Park campus stretches from the river to the coast. The curriculum takes a cross-curricular approach through STEAM, offering personalised learning, innovative teaching, and strong pastoral care. The message from the school is clear: nurture inventive, adaptive thinkers.
12. Santa Maria College – Attadale
Santa Maria College is a Catholic day and boarding school for girls. The school features a broad academic and co-curricular offering, from STEM and the arts to service learning and leadership. Its modern facilities are designed for collaboration and creativity, and the focus on academic achievement and character building means that the girls who study there can find purpose while contributing positively after school.
13. Penrhos College – Como
Penrhos is a Uniting Church girls' school that focuses on student-centred learning, well-being, and leadership. It has strong programs in STEM and the performing arts, balancing tradition with innovation so its students grow both academically and personally. Its philosophy is "limitless" and based on five strategic pillars (embrace, Create, Soar, Blaze, Impact) while having a clear sense of community.
14. All Saints’ College – Bull Creek
All Saints' College is Perth's first Anglican co-educational school. There's a focus on innovation, the arts, and community here, with creative and scientific learning nurtured through its contemporary facilities. The co-curricular program focuses on a broad range of areas including performance, design, sport, and service. Students here are encouraged to think deeply, act kindly, and engage confidently with the world beyond school.
15. Trinity College – East Perth
Trinity College is a boys' Catholic school. The school's programs in academics, culture, and sport are framed within the Edmund Rice tradition, creating an environment where young men are challenged and supported. The school's aim is to develop confident, compassionate young men who are ready to serve and lead.
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