Students from Sha Tin College, one of the international secondary schools part of the English Schools Foundation group seeking a fee increase. Photo: HandoutThe English Schools Foundation (ESF) plans to raise tuition fees for most of its primary and secondary sections by about 4.8 per cent – as much as $750 (US$96.40) per month – in the next academic year, pending authorities’ approval.
The proposed increase by Hong Kong’s largest English-medium school group is higher than what some other major international schools are seeking, but it also generally charges less than they do.
ESF members met on Monday to approve its budget for the new academic year starting in September and backed an average 4.8 per cent rise in fees for primary and secondary sections. The increase is in line with last year’s raise in fees.
If the request is approved, parents will have to pay HK$650 to HK$750 extra each month, depending on which grade their children are in.
Hong Kong’s ESF to open new kindergarten in Sai Kung, close one in Tung Chung
But for Discovery College, a private independent school under the ESF charging higher fees, a rise of 5.9 per cent was proposed. Parents would have to pay HK$900 to HK$1,190 more per month if the request is approved.
Renaissance College, another private independent school operated by the group, proposed to raise its tuition fees by 4.8 per cent per month. Its annual fees range from HK$148,100 to HK$193,600.
Private independent schools primarily cater to local families seeking alternatives to public sector institutions and must ensure that at least 70 per cent of their student populations are permanent residents. Most international schools operate under an agreement stipulating that no less than 70 per cent of its student body consists of non-locals
For its five kindergartens, the ESF proposed an increase of 6.26 per cent to 9.9 per cent, with Abacus International Kindergarten in Sai Kung seeking the largest planned rise of nearly 10 per cent.
ESF said it maintained a fee level that remained “among the lowest” of international schools in Hong Kong.
At least three other major international schools also announced proposed fee adjustments of between 2.7 and 4.6 per cent.
Christian Alliance International School of Hong Kong in Lai Chi Kok is seeking a 2.7 per cent increase.
Parents whose children are in Year One to Three may have to pay HK$151,800 a year from September.
Hong Kong International School in the Southern district has proposed a fee increase of 3.1 per cent for pupils studying from reception to grade five and an increase of 3.8 per cent for grades six to 12. Its annual fee for students in grade five or below would then be HK$224,800.
American International School in Kowloon Tong aims to increase fees by about 4.6 per cent. Parents with children studying in junior grades in primary school would pay HK$152,800 per year if the proposed raise is approved.
The Education Bureau last year approved a 4.53 per cent rise in international school fees on average for the current school year.
The number of students in international schools reached an 11-year high in the 2023-24 academic year. The schools recorded an 18 per cent increase in the number of students compared with 2013, with government and aided ones seeing a 12 per cent decline over the same period, according to census data.