HK international school group ESF seeks 4.8% tuition fee hike
Hong Kong’s largest international school group is looking to raise tuition fees by an average of 4.8 per cent for primary and secondary school students, subject to approval by the city’s Education Bureau.
In a letter to parents on Monday, the English Schools Foundation (ESF) CEO Belinda Greer said that the group’s board had approved proposed fee hikes, ranging between HK$650 and HK$750 per month.
Annual tuition fees for primary school students, from Year 1 to Year 6, will increase by 4.9 per cent in the 2025-26 academic year, from HK$132,500 to HK$139,000, according to the statement.
Meanwhile, secondary school students in Years 7 to 10 will see their tuition fees rise from HK$173,900 to HK$181,100 – up 4.1 per cent.
Fees for upper secondary school students, while still subsidised, will also increase.
A 4.73 per cent tuition hike will apply to Year 11 students, from HK$152,200 to HK$159,400.
Meanwhile, for students in Years 12 and 13, their fees will rise by 4.68 per cent, from HK$160,100 to HK$167,600.
Greer gave assurance in the statement that despite the increase, the ESF’s fee level “remains amongst the lowest of any international school or group in Hong Kong.”
Subsidy phased out
A recurrent subsidy scheme for ESF schools is gradually being phased out after the foundation accepted a government proposal in 2013 to stop public funding.
The ESF began phasing out government funding in the 2016-17 school year and is set to fully complete the process in the 2028-29 school year.
Year 10 will not be subsidised in the upcoming school year.
Separately, Discovery College, an ESF-operated private international school that does not receive government subsidies, is seeking larger fee hikes of around 5.9 per cent – a monthly increase of HK$900 to HK$1,190 – for both primary and secondary school students.
Renaissance College, another unsubsidised private school run by the ESF, plans to raise tuition fees for students from Year 1 to Year 13 by around 4.8 per cent.
The ESF is also seeking fee increases at the five international kindergartens it operates, also without government funding, ranging from HK$600 to HK$1,080 per month – the equivalent of a 6.3 to 10 per cent hike.
“I know that the Hong Kong economy, like that of the world more generally, continues to face uncertainties,” Greer said. “I want to assure you that our commitment to a prudent ‘best value’ financial model remains resolute.”
Last year, the EDB approved the ESF’s application to raise tuition fees by around 4.8 per cent for the current academic year.
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