6 schools · 2026 fees verified

Best Private Schools in Melbourne's South-East (Caulfield + Bentleigh) (2026)

Melbourne's South-East — Caulfield, Elsternwick, St Kilda East, Bentleigh — concentrates the country's largest Jewish-school cluster: Beth Rivkah Ladies College, Mount Scopus Memorial College (Caulfield + Burwood), Yeshivah College, King David School, Bialik College, Yavneh College, and Sholem Aleichem College. Caulfield Grammar (Caulfield + St Kilda Road) anchors the non-Jewish independent options. The neighbouring suburbs of Carnegie and McKinnon have strong public school options + lower-fee Catholic schools.

The Education Desk · Editorial team, schools + fertility + family services · Updated 17 May 2026 · How we rank · Editorial standards

Key takeaways

6 schools matched, ranked by ICSEA (highest first).
2026 Year 12 tuition ranges $19,820–$45,206.
3 of 6 offer boarding.
Sourced from each school's published 2026 fee schedule. Independent — no paid placements.

Best Private Schools in Melbourne's South-East (Caulfield + Bentleigh) (2026) — quick compare table · Click any header to sort
Provider ⇅	Suburb ⇅	Sector ⇅	Gender ⇅	ICSEA ⇅	Y12 fee ⇅	Boarding ⇅
St Catherine's School	Toorak	Anglican	girls	1212	$37,920	Yes
St Michael's Grammar School	St Kilda	Independent (non-denominational)	co-educational	1169	$31,820	No
Wesley College	Melbourne (St Kilda Road, Glen Waverley, Elsternwick)	Uniting Church	co-educational	1169	$45,206	Yes
Loreto Mandeville Hall	Toorak	Catholic (Loreto Sisters / IBVM)	girls	1168	$39,810	No
Caulfield Grammar School	St Kilda East (also Wheelers Hill, Malvern)	Anglican	co-educational	1157	$40,770	Yes
St Kevin's College	Toorak	Catholic (Christian Brothers)	boys	1142	$19,820	No

Top 20 by ICSEA. Independent — no paid placements.

St Catherine's School

, Toorak

Anglican Girls Top tier Boarding Est. 1896

St Catherine's School is in Toorak, Melbourne. Anglican, girls, ELC-Year 12. $37,920/yr Year 12 tuition · ICSEA 1212. Founded 1896. Boarding offered. Standout: Strong VCE outcomes.

Y12 fee 2026

$37,920/yr

Y7 fee 2026

$34,480

ICSEA

1212

Year levels

ELC-Year 12

Boarding: $31,800/yr (additional to tuition)

Best for: Families in Melbourne

Standout programs

› Strong VCE outcomes
› Toorak elite community
› Small boarding house with rural + international students

See full profile → School site ↗ Fee source ↗

St Michael's Grammar School

, St Kilda

Independent (non-denominational) Co-ed Mid tier Est. 1895

St Michael's Grammar School is in St Kilda, Melbourne. Independent (non-denominational), co-educational, ELC-Year 12. $31,820/yr Year 12 tuition · ICSEA 1169. Founded 1895. Standout: Inner-city co-ed model.

Y12 fee 2026

$31,820/yr

Y7 fee 2026

$28,680

ICSEA

1169

Year levels

ELC-Year 12

Best for: Families in Melbourne

Standout programs

› Inner-city co-ed model
› Strong VCE outcomes
› St Kilda bayside campus

See full profile → School site ↗ Fee source ↗

Wesley College

, Melbourne (St Kilda Road, Glen Waverley, Elsternwick)

Uniting Church Co-ed Elite tier Boarding Est. 1866

Wesley College is in Melbourne (St Kilda Road, Glen Waverley, Elsternwick), Melbourne. Uniting Church, co-educational, ELC-Year 12. $45,206/yr Year 12 tuition · ICSEA 1169. Founded 1866. Boarding offered. Standout: Only Victorian school offering IB from early childhood through Year 12.

Y12 fee 2026

$45,206/yr

Y7 fee 2026

$38,171

ICSEA

1169

Year levels

ELC-Year 12

Best for: Families in Melbourne

Standout programs

› Only Victorian school offering IB from early childhood through Year 12
› Year 9 Clunes residential learning campus
› Yiramalay/Wesley Indigenous education partnership in the Kimberley

See full profile → School site ↗ Fee source ↗

Note: Boarding offered at Glen Waverley campus only.

Loreto Mandeville Hall

, Toorak

Catholic (Loreto Sisters / IBVM) Girls Top tier Est. 1924

Loreto Mandeville Hall is in Toorak, Melbourne. Catholic (Loreto Sisters / IBVM), girls, Prep-Year 12. $39,810/yr Year 12 tuition · ICSEA 1168. Founded 1924. Standout: Top-ranked Catholic girls' school by VCE (ranked 7th statewide in 2023).

Y12 fee 2026

$39,810/yr

Y7 fee 2026

$36,540

ICSEA

1168

Year levels

Prep-Year 12

Best for: Families in Melbourne

Standout programs

› Top-ranked Catholic girls' school by VCE (ranked 7th statewide in 2023)
› One of the top school rowing programs nationally
› Six consecutive GSV Athletics Championships (2014-2019); Positive Education curriculum

See full profile → School site ↗ Fee source ↗

Caulfield Grammar School

, St Kilda East (also Wheelers Hill, Malvern)

Anglican Co-ed Top tier Boarding Est. 1881

Caulfield Grammar School is in St Kilda East (also Wheelers Hill, Malvern), Melbourne. Anglican, co-educational, Kindergarten-Year 12. $40,770/yr Year 12 tuition · ICSEA 1157. Founded 1881. Boarding offered. Standout: First Australian school with an overseas campus (Nanjing, China since 1998) for Mandarin immersion.

Y12 fee 2026

$40,770/yr

Y7 fee 2026

$36,828

ICSEA

1157

Year levels

Kindergarten-Year 12

Boarding: $34,401/yr (additional to tuition)

Best for: Families in Melbourne

Standout programs

› First Australian school with an overseas campus (Nanjing, China since 1998) for Mandarin immersion
› Yarra Junction outdoor education campus with award-winning environmental program
› IB Diploma offered alongside VCE

See full profile → School site ↗ Fee source ↗

St Kevin's College

, Toorak

Catholic (Christian Brothers) Boys Lower-fee Est. 1918

St Kevin's College is in Toorak, Melbourne. Catholic (Christian Brothers), boys, ELC-Year 12. $19,820/yr Year 12 tuition · ICSEA 1142. Founded 1918. Standout: Edmund Rice tradition.

Y12 fee 2026

$19,820/yr

Y7 fee 2026

$17,820

ICSEA

1142

Year levels

ELC-Year 12

Best for: Families in Melbourne

Standout programs

› Edmund Rice tradition
› Strong rowing + AFL programs
› Toorak elite community at lower fee

See full profile → School site ↗ Fee source ↗

Common questions

Why is Caulfield + St Kilda East the centre of Jewish education in Australia?

The post-war Jewish migration to Melbourne (1940s-50s) settled heavily in St Kilda + Caulfield. The community established Mount Scopus (1948), Beth Rivkah (Chabad-aligned), Yeshivah College (Chabad boys), King David (Reform), Bialik (modern Orthodox + co-ed) and others. The South-East now has the largest cluster of Jewish day schools in the southern hemisphere.

What is the difference between Mount Scopus and Bialik?

Mount Scopus is the largest Jewish school in Australia, traditional/Modern Orthodox-aligned, K-Year 12 co-ed. Bialik (Hawthorn) is also Modern Orthodox K-Year 12 co-ed but smaller, with a strong Hebrew-language program and progressive academic focus.

Are non-Jewish students accepted at Jewish schools?

Most Jewish day schools accept non-Jewish students if places are available and families are comfortable with Jewish religious observance + Hebrew curriculum. Mount Scopus and King David are most accommodating; Yeshivah and Beth Rivkah are more strictly Orthodox-aligned.

How does Caulfield Grammar compare to Inner East independents?

Caulfield Grammar is Anglican co-ed K-Year 12 with two campuses (Caulfield + St Kilda Road). Around $35-42k Year 12. Slightly below the elite Inner East tier (Melbourne Grammar, Wesley, Scotch) but solidly competitive on academic + co-curricular outcomes.