Government and Catholic schools in NSW are operating with less than 70 per cent of the income per student of the state's private schools, with public schools reporting a net yearly income of $13,318 a student compared to the private schools' income of $20,053 a student.

NSW government schools had a net recurrent income, which includes federal and state government funding, fees, charges, parent contributions and other private sources of money, of $13,318 a student in 2016, the latest data provided by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) shows.

This was similar to the average Catholic school net recurrent income of $13,691 a student in 2016, but far below the average private school income of $20,053 a student.

Government and Catholic schools in NSW are operating with less than 70 per cent of the income per student of the state's private schools. Credit:Louie Douvis

Chief executive of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW Geoff Newcombe said: "Differences in school income are due to fees collected from parents who choose to use their after-tax dollars to contribute to the cost of their child's education, rather than spending on other discretionary items."