A school in Hyderabad invoices 4 Lakh for LKG. And it is not even the most scandalous part, many want the costs of the full year.
“I will not send my child in an expensive private school,” wrote Neha Nagar, financial advisor in a LinkedIn article. “At this rate, do we prepare children in school … or do we prepare parents at bankruptcy?”
His words strike where it hurts – in the wallets of millions of anxious parents.
Spiral fresh hikes in cities. In Hyderabad only, some schools increased the costs of 30% this year. In Bengaluru, parents protest against increases up to 30% for 2025–26. In Delhi and Mumbai, similar complaints flush.
The figures tell the story bigger. The average annual costs in private schools now vary from 60,000 to 2 lakh. Education inflation, currently 11 to 12%, is more than the double rate of general inflation of India – and the increase. According to LocalCircles, 44% of parents saw school fees increase by 50 to 80% in just three years. An amazing 8% reported hikes beyond 80%.
Government data support the trend. Between 2014 and 2018, primary school costs increased by 30.7%. In rural areas, average annual expenses per student increased from 5,856 to 12,345 ₹ in a decade; In urban areas, it has more than doubled from 12,000 to 28,000 ₹.
And tuition fees are only part of the charge. Parents must also cover uniforms, books, gadgets, transport, parascolia – all billed separately. Many schools now charge 25,000 ₹ per year just for buses. Book sets can cost 7,000 ₹ or more.
Elite schools charge enticing sums. A Gurgaon Higher School requires 3.46 Lakh per year for classes 11 to 12, plus admission costs of 2 Lakh.
Intermediate level schools such as a 21,000 school charge more than 60,000 ₹ even for lower notes – to the exclusion of books and evaluations.
Financial compression shows. Registration fell by more than 1 crore between 2018 and 1919 and 2023-2024, because families have either delayed admissions or opted for cheaper alternatives.
As Neha Nagar said frankly, private schools today “are more like startups than institutions”.
