Fee increases at ESF schools

Fees at 17 ESF schools will increase between 5.4 and 27.5%. This hefty fee increase, which has been approved by the government’s Education Bureau, was always on the cards following the phase out of government subsidies from 2016. The ESF will see the withdrawal of its annual HKD 283 million subsidy from the government over the next 13 years.

The ESF runs nine primary schools, five secondary schools, two Private Independent Schools and a special school. All ESF schools have the same fee structure, and they have always had a reputation for being considerably cheaper than most international schools in Hong Kong.

Year 2 students at ESF’s nine primary schools are the hardest hit. Fees at schools including Kowloon Junior, Beacon Hill and Sha Tin Junior schools will rise 27.5% from HKD 83,800 to HKD 106,500 per year. Fees for the Jockey Club Sarah Roe School face the same increase.

The annual fee for Years 3 to 6 goes up 6.8% to HKD 89,200. At secondary schools such as King George V and Island School, the fees for Years 7 to 11 will increase 6.2% to HKD 122,900; families of students studying the IBDP in Years 12 and 13 will pay an extra 6.3% (HKD 129,100). The lowest increase is for Year 1, which had a significant increase last year; fees for the new academic year rise by just 5.8% to HKD 106,500.

Parents at Renaissance College (RCHK) and Discovery College, both Private Independent Schools run by the ESF, also face an average 6.2% rise in fees; these now range from HKD 111,500-151,000 at RCHK and HKD115,600-156,300 at Discovery College.