With an annual fee of R209,000, Hilton College in Kwa-Zulu Natal is South Africa’s most expensive private school.

The all-boys boarding school, located near Hilton in the KZN Midlands, was founded in 1872 and sits on an over 1,700 hectare piece of land, which includes its own wildlife reserve.

Hilton, along with MichaelHouse, the second most expensive private school in the country, are of the only remaining schools that are pure boarding schools, that do not offer day student education.

MichaelHouse is also located in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal.

So what will R209,000 at Hilton College get you? Aside from the prestigious location and tradition, the fees cover tuition, board, games, ordinary medical attention, the use of the sanatorium, library and laundry.

It also includes basic entertainment which is arranged for all boys, games transport and simple mending materials.

The fees listed below are what parents can expect to pay for a full senior year at some of South Africa’s most elite private schools, including boarding, at the latest-available rates.

It most be noted that most schools do not include additional fees in this amount. Additional fees can typically relate to various levies, such as IT and infrastructure, as well as further costs for food, extra mural activities and trips.

Entry fees have been noted in the table below for institutions where it has been explicitly stated.

Hilton College – R209,000 – KZN Midlands

MichaelHouse – R192,000 – KZN Midlands

St Martins – R184,460 – Johannesburg

St Andrews College – R182,700 – Grahamstown

Kearsney College – R181,350 – KZN Midlands

Roedean School for Girls – R181,140 – Johannesburg

St Alban’s College – R181,000 – Pretoria

St Andrews School for Girls – R174,860 – Johannesburg

St Johns – R178,523 – Johannesburg

St Mary’s School – Waverly – R173,700

Bishops – R168,140 – Cape Town

Somerset College – R167,736 – Somerset West

St Stithians – R166,691 – Sandton

St Mary’s DSG – R166,155 – Pretoria

Kingswood College – R158,355 – Grahamstown

Diocesan School for Girls – R157,590 – Grahamstown

Herschel Girls’ School – R157,560 – Cape Town

The Wykeham Collegiate – R154,820 – Pietermaritzburg

Bridge House – R149,490 – Franschoek

St Cyprians – R148,560 – Cape Town

St Anne’s Diocesan College – R146,200 – KZN Midlands

Treverton College – R142,400 – KZN Midlands

SA’s most expensive private schools (Above R140,000)

School Annual Fee (Boarding) Annual Fee (Day) Entry Fee

Hilton College R209,000 N/A R52,250 MichaelHouse R192,000 N/A R24,000 St Martins R184,460 R71,460 R12,000 St Andrews R182,700 R81,600 R15,225 Kearsney College R181,350 R124,800 R17,400 Roedean School for Girls R181,140 R99,234 – St Alban’s College R181,000* R102,900 R55,000 St Johns R178,523 R105,760 R61,348** St Andrews School for Girls R174,860 R94,380 – St Mary’s School for Girls R173,700* R92,450 R34,950** Bishops R168,140 R96,360 R20,000 Somerset College R167,736* R89,904 R22,000 St Stithians R166,691 R96,119 R10,000 St Mary’s DSG R166,155* R90,630 – Kingswood College R158,355 R82,920 R10,700 Diocesan School for Girls R157,590 R82,320 R35,200 Herschel Girls’ School R157,560* R78,960 R10,000 The Wykeham Collegiate R154,820* R83,500 R4,000 Bridge House R149,490* R81,680 R3,500 St Cyprians R148,560 R76,560 R7,500 St Anne’s School for Girls R146,200 R80,000 R34,000 Treverton College R142,400 R69,600 R5,000

* 2015 fees ** Refundable deposit

However, even South Africa’s most expensive schools don’t quite match up to the fees charged by private schools in the USA.

Lawrenceville, in New Jersey, charges upwards of $44,800 (over R500,000) per year for its education; with other private schools such as Salisbury School in Conneticut and Riverdale Country School and Birch Wathen Lenox School in New York, charging students around $43,000 per year.

The title of most expensive school in the world belong to Swiss school, Institut Le Rosey, which charges annual fees of over $120,000 (R1.35 million) – with royalty, monarchs and celebrities amongst some of its more notable alumni.

Are there any high-cost schools we missed? Please let us know in the comments.

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