Choosing a private school in Sydney is rarely about a single league table. Fees, ICSEA, sector, gender model, boarding and program strengths all matter, and the right answer depends on your child and your budget. Below are the Sydney schools in our register, with their published 2026 fees and ICSEA scores, so you can compare like with like. Every school links to its full profile, and the complete city ranking lives at best private schools in Sydney on our site.
Sydney private schools at a glance (2026 fees and ICSEA)
Fees shown are indicative Year 12 day tuition for 2026. Boarding, where offered, is charged separately. ICSEA has a national average of 1,000. Where a school gates its fees, we show "on request".
| School | Suburb | Sector / gender | Year 12 fee 2026 | ICSEA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney Grammar School | Darlinghurst | Independent, boys | $52,410 | 1,274 |
| Abbotsleigh | Wahroonga | Anglican, girls | $41,960 | 1,217 |
| Ascham School | Edgecliff | Independent, girls | on request | 1,217 |
| SCEGGS Darlinghurst | Darlinghurst | Anglican, girls | $51,856 | 1,212 |
| St Catherine's School Waverley | Waverley | Anglican, girls | $39,820 | 1,212 |
| Wenona School | North Sydney | Uniting, girls | $37,650 | 1,201 |
| Reddam House | Bondi | Independent, co-ed | $38,200 | 1,188 |
| Knox Grammar School | Wahroonga | Uniting, boys | $45,120 | 1,187 |
| Hills Grammar School | Kenthurst | Independent, co-ed | $25,820 | 1,187 |
| Loreto Kirribilli | Kirribilli | Catholic (Loreto), girls | $27,950 | 1,186 |
| Loreto Normanhurst | Normanhurst | Catholic (Loreto), girls | $27,820 | 1,183 |
| Shore (Sydney Church of England Grammar) | North Sydney | Anglican, boys | $48,100 | 1,182 |
| Cranbrook School | Bellevue Hill | Anglican, co-ed | $49,521 | 1,181 |
| Pymble Ladies' College | Pymble | Uniting, girls | $45,820 | 1,178 |
| The King's School | North Parramatta | Anglican, boys | $49,980 | 1,164 |
Fees are sourced from each school's published 2026 schedule or the Good Schools Guide listing; ICSEA values are from the ACARA MySchool register. Some Sydney schools gate their tuition behind an enquiry form, shown here as "on request". Always confirm current figures with the school before deciding.
The elite independents
Sydney Grammar School in Darlinghurst (ICSEA 1,274, the highest in our Sydney set) is consistently among the strongest HSC academic performers in NSW, with a long Classics and humanities tradition and GPS sport. Year 12 day tuition for 2026 is around $52,410, the highest in our Sydney set. SCEGGS Darlinghurst sits close behind on both fees (around $51,856) and academic reputation, with a progressive Anglican social-justice ethos and a strong creative arts focus on its inner-city campus.
The King's School in North Parramatta is Australia's oldest independent school (founded 1831) and one of the largest GPS boarding schools, with a strong rugby and cadet tradition. Cranbrook School in Bellevue Hill, recently co-educational from K-12, offers the IB Diploma alongside the HSC on its eastern suburbs harbourside campus. Both sit in the high $40,000s for 2026 Year 12 day tuition.
Leading girls' schools
Abbotsleigh in Wahroonga (ICSEA 1,217) and Ascham School in Edgecliff (also ICSEA 1,217) are the two highest-ICSEA girls' schools in our set. Abbotsleigh is a top HSC performer with a strong music and choral program and boarding from regional NSW; Ascham runs the rare Dalton Plan progressive methodology and a strong rowing program on Sydney Harbour.
St Catherine's School Waverley (ICSEA 1,212) is Australia's oldest girls' school still on its original site, with boarding in the eastern suburbs. Wenona School in North Sydney and Pymble Ladies' College on the upper North Shore round out the leading girls' options, with Pymble offering the IB Primary Years Programme alongside the HSC and a strong STEM and rowing program.
Leading boys' and co-ed schools
Knox Grammar School in Wahroonga is the largest GPS boys' school, with a broad co-curricular program and a wellbeing-led framework, and is a sister school to Abbotsleigh. Shore in North Sydney is a GPS founding member with strong rowing on Sydney Harbour. On the co-ed side, Reddam House in Bondi (ICSEA 1,188) is a non-denominational independent with a distinctive senior-college structure, while Hills Grammar School in Kenthurst delivers a high-ICSEA co-ed community at a far more accessible $25,820 for Year 12.
Strong value: Catholic and lower-fee schools
If the elite tier is out of budget, Sydney has genuinely strong Catholic and lower-fee independent options. Loreto Normanhurst (ICSEA 1,183, with boarding) and Loreto Kirribilli (ICSEA 1,186) are both high-ICSEA Catholic girls' schools in the Loreto tradition, at well under $30,000 for Year 12. Hills Grammar School offers a comparable co-ed ICSEA at around $25,820. Sydney's Catholic systemic schools, run by the diocese, sit lower again, typically from around $8,000 to $11,000 for Year 12.
How to use ICSEA and fees together
- ICSEA is a community measure, not a quality score. A score above 1,000 means the student community is, on average, more socio-educationally advantaged. It does not directly measure teaching or HSC results.
- Fees buy facilities and co-curricular breadth, not guaranteed outcomes. Several lower-fee Sydney schools (Hills Grammar, Loreto Kirribilli, Loreto Normanhurst) post ICSEA scores within a few points of the elite tier.
- Match the gender model and sector to your child. Sydney's leading schools split fairly evenly between single-sex and co-ed; the right fit matters more than the brochure.
- Factor in the extras. Uniforms, IT, camps, music tuition and boarding can add $5,000-$40,000 a year on top of headline tuition.
Boarding in Sydney
Sydney's leading schools draw boarders from regional NSW, the interstate east coast and international families. Abbotsleigh, Knox Grammar, Shore, Cranbrook, The King's School, Loreto Kirribilli, Loreto Normanhurst, Pymble Ladies' College, St Catherine's Waverley and Trinity Grammar Summer Hill all run boarding houses, as does Saint Ignatius' College Riverview, one of the largest GPS boarding schools by tradition. Boarding fees are charged on top of tuition, so budget for the combined figure. For the wider picture, read our guide to boarding school costs and what is included in the fees.
When to apply
For the most in-demand Sydney schools, register your interest early. Mid-tier independents generally want applications 2 to 4 years before the entry year, while the elite independents and boarding places can have waiting lists running for years, so families often apply well before Year 7, the most competitive entry point. Catholic systemic schools usually take applications 12 to 24 months ahead. Scholarship exams (academic, music, all-rounder) typically run 12 to 18 months before entry, so apply to several schools at once and confirm each school's specific deadlines and waiting-list policy directly.