Updated May 2026 with current 2026 school fees, scholarship pathways, and named comparisons across boys, girls, and co-educational private schools in Melbourne.

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Quick answer

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Melbourne has more than 200 private schools across the metro area. The most well-known names — Scotch College, Melbourne Grammar, Wesley College, Haileybury, Geelong Grammar, MLC, PLC, Trinity Grammar, Xavier College, Carey Baptist Grammar, and Caulfield Grammar — sit in the A$28,000–A$48,000 a year range for senior years, with most offering scholarships of 25–100% off fees. The "best" school depends on whether you want boys-only, girls-only, or co-ed; Catholic, Anglican, or non-denominational; and whether VCE, IB, or both pathways matter. This guide compares the schools by fees, gender model, year levels, faith affiliation, and known scholarship pathways so you can shortlist three to visit.

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What are the top private schools in Melbourne?

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Melbourne's most-cited top private schools, drawing on Independent Schools Victoria membership, Catholic Education Commission Victoria membership, and consistent VCE and NAPLAN performance, include Scotch College, Melbourne Grammar School, Wesley College, Haileybury, Geelong Grammar (boarding option), Trinity Grammar, Caulfield Grammar, Carey Baptist Grammar, Camberwell Grammar, MLC (Methodist Ladies' College), PLC (Presbyterian Ladies' College), Genazzano FCJ, Loreto Mandeville Hall, St Catherine's School, Lauriston Girls', Tintern Grammar, Xavier College, Christ Church Grammar (Geelong), and Penleigh and Essendon Grammar (PEGS). Below is a side-by-side comparison of the most-asked-about schools so you can shortlist by fees, gender model, faith, and pathway.

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Fees are senior-year (Year 12) approximate annual tuition, drawn from each school's published 2026 fee schedule. Add A$2,000–A$6,000 for levies, technology charges, books, camps, and uniforms. Earlier year levels are typically 30–60% lower. Boarding fees on top of tuition where applicable.

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How much do Melbourne private schools cost?

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Melbourne private schools cost roughly A$28,000 to A$48,000 in tuition for Year 12, before levies. Across the metro, mid-range Catholic schools like Xavier College and Genazzano FCJ sit at the lower end (around A$32,000–A$35,000), mainstream Anglican and Uniting schools like Carey, Caulfield, MLC, and Wesley sit in the middle (around A$38,000–A$42,000), and the heritage Anglican-Presbyterian schools — Scotch, Melbourne Grammar, St Catherine's, Geelong Grammar — sit at the top (around A$45,000–A$48,000). Junior years are 30–60% lower; Foundation/Prep typically starts at A$15,000–A$25,000. Boarding adds A$25,000–A$35,000 a year. Most families also budget A$2,000–A$6,000 a year for levies, books, technology, camps, and uniforms.

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What's the best private school in Melbourne?

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There is no single "best" private school in Melbourne — the top-ranked school in the state on VCE results is rarely the right fit for every child. Haileybury, Scotch College, Melbourne Grammar, MLC, and PLC consistently produce the highest VCE median study scores, but the gap between the top 20 schools is small. The "best" school for your family depends on five questions: (1) does your child do better in a single-sex or co-ed setting, (2) does the school's faith align with your family, (3) does VCE or IB suit your child's strengths, (4) is the campus close enough that travel doesn't eat into family life, and (5) does your budget cover senior-year fees including the 30–40% jump from junior to senior. Shortlist three schools that pass all five filters and visit each.

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How do I choose between Melbourne private schools?

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To choose between Melbourne private schools, work through five filters in order: gender model (boys, girls, co-ed, or parallel like Haileybury and Tintern), faith affiliation (Anglican, Catholic, Uniting, Presbyterian, Baptist, or non-denominational), pathway (VCE only, or VCE plus IB), campus location (commute time matters more in Year 11–12), and total annual cost including levies. After the filters, the deciding factor is school culture — what you feel walking through the campus on an open day. Below are the practical checks parents most often miss.

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Visit on a normal weekday, not just open day

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Open days are stage-managed. Email the registrar and ask for a weekday tour during a regular school day so you see classes in motion, hear the noise level, watch how teachers interact with students, and notice whether older students are confident or quiet. Most Melbourne private schools accommodate weekday tours.

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Read the latest annual report, not the marketing brochure

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Every registered Australian school publishes an Annual Report on its website with VCE median study scores, NAPLAN performance, attendance, staff retention, and post-school destinations. The Annual Report is more honest than the prospectus. Cross-check on MySchool (acara.edu.au/mysite) for ICSEA, NAPLAN, and finances.

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Talk to current parents at the gate, not just alumni

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Alumni remember a school as it was a decade ago. Current parents know what the school is now — particularly whether the pastoral care actually works when their child has had a tough term, and whether the school responds well to learning differences.

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Ask about the senior-year fee jump in writing

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Junior-year fees are often quoted in marketing; senior-year fees can be 30–40% higher and rise each year. Ask the registrar for the indicative full Foundation-to-Year-12 fee profile in writing so you can budget the full thirteen years, not just the first.

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What scholarships do Melbourne private schools offer?

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Melbourne private schools offer five common scholarship streams: academic (highest scoring on the school's entry exam, usually ACER's Cooperative Scholarship Test or the school's own paper), music (audition-based, often covering instrumental tuition on top of fee remission), sport (state-level competitive achievement, common in boys' schools), all-rounder (a blend of academic, leadership, and co-curricular contribution), and means-tested bursaries (financial-need-based, often confidential). Remission ranges from 25% to 100%. Scotch College, Melbourne Grammar, Haileybury, Wesley, MLC, PLC, Carey, and Caulfield all run multiple streams. For a deeper dive, see Tutero's Melbourne scholarship guide.

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How do I get my child into a top Melbourne private school?

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To get your child into a top Melbourne private school, start the enrolment process three to seven years before the entry year. The most-asked-after schools — Scotch, Melbourne Grammar, MLC, PLC, Geelong Grammar — have closed waitlists for many entry points and prioritise siblings of current students, children of alumni, and early registrations. Submit the registration form and the registration fee as soon as your child's name and date of birth are known. For Year 7 entry, most schools run an entrance exam in February or March of Year 5; some schools (Haileybury, Caulfield, Wesley) hold their own internal exam, others use the ACER Cooperative Scholarship Test for both academic scholarships and entry. If you missed early registration, schools sometimes have movement at unusual entry points (Year 5, Year 9, Year 10) — call the registrar directly and ask. A skilled Melbourne tutor who has prepared students for these specific exams (ACER, AAS, school-paper) can lift a child's chances meaningfully — preparation runs four to nine months and focuses on the test format, time pressure, and the abstract-reasoning sections.

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Are boys-only, girls-only, or co-ed Melbourne private schools best?

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There is no single best gender model — the right answer depends on your child. Boys-only Melbourne schools (Scotch, Melbourne Grammar, Trinity, Xavier, Camberwell Grammar, St Kevin's) tend to suit boys who thrive in physical, structured, sport-heavy environments and benefit from male role models. Girls-only Melbourne schools (MLC, PLC, Genazzano, Loreto, St Catherine's, Lauriston, Korowa, Fintona, Ruyton, Strathcona) tend to suit girls who participate more in STEM and leadership when boys aren't in the room. Co-educational Melbourne schools (Wesley, Carey, Caulfield, Geelong Grammar, PEGS, Mentone, Ivanhoe, St Michael's) suit children who learn well from a mixed peer group and reflect the workplaces they will enter. Parallel co-ed (Haileybury and Tintern run separate boys' and girls' classes within one campus) offers a middle path. The honest answer: visit one of each and watch your child's body language during the tour.

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Are Melbourne private school fees worth it?

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Melbourne private school fees are worth it when the school adds something the family can't get for less — small class sizes through Year 12, a specific co-curricular pathway like rowing or strings, a pastoral care culture that genuinely supports your child, or a religious tradition you want them inside. Fees are not worth it as a generic ATAR-buying strategy: state selective schools (Melbourne High, MacRobertson Girls', Suzanne Cory, Nossal) consistently outperform many private schools on VCE results at zero tuition. The honest test for parents: if you removed the fees, would the school still be your first choice for this specific child? If yes, it's worth it. If you're paying for the brand or the network, the ROI is much harder to defend on academic grounds alone, and a strong state school plus targeted private tutoring often beats the all-in private cost.

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When should we start preparing for the entrance exam?

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Start preparing for a Melbourne private-school entrance exam four to nine months before the test date. The most common entry points are Year 5 (for Year 7 entry) and Year 8 (for Year 9 entry), and the most common exam is ACER's Cooperative Scholarship Test, plus a few schools' internal papers. Effective preparation covers four areas: written expression (a stimulus prompt under timed conditions), mathematics (curriculum-level word problems plus abstract reasoning), reading comprehension and humanities, and quantitative-and-abstract-reasoning sections. A child who is academically strong at school can still struggle with the test format, the time pressure, and the abstract-reasoning style — those are best addressed with a tutor who has prepared students for the specific exam. Tutero matches Melbourne families with tutors at A$65 per hour, with no contracts. See our guide on when to begin tutoring for the broader timing question.

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What if private school doesn't work out?

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If private school doesn't work out — for fit, for cost, for culture, or for your child's wellbeing — changing schools mid-stream is more common than parents think and is a legitimate decision rather than a failure. Public selective entry schools, strong local government schools, and Catholic system schools all accept transfers most year levels. Read Tutero's guide to changing your child's school for the four most common signals it is time to switch and how to do it cleanly. The other practical resource for early planning is our overview of primary school to high school education in Melbourne and the six steps for choosing the right school.

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Does private school guarantee a high VCE score?

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Private school does not guarantee a high VCE score. Average VCE median study scores at top Melbourne private schools sit between 31 and 36, and at top state selective schools between 33 and 37 — the difference is small and within the range explained by student selection rather than teaching quality. What private schools do offer that government schools mostly don't is small class sizes through Year 11 and 12, a structured co-curricular timetable, and a default expectation that students sit Year 12 (rather than leave at Year 10). For students aiming at ATARs above 95, the strongest predictor is consistent revision habits across Year 11 and Year 12, not the school sticker. Tutero's VCE exam strategies guide walks through the routines that lift scores. For students struggling with the academic load, our breakdown of private tutoring benefits covers the common ROI cases.

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The bottom line

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Melbourne has more than 200 private schools, and the right one for your child sits at the intersection of gender model, faith, pathway, location, and budget — not at the top of any rankings table. Use the comparison table above to shortlist three schools that pass all five filters, visit each on a normal weekday, read the most recent annual report, and ask current parents at the gate what the school is actually like in a tough term. Most Melbourne private schools offer scholarships of 25–100%, so don't rule a school out on sticker price before checking the scholarship streams. If you want help preparing your child for the entrance exam or supporting their academic load once they're in, Tutero matches Melbourne families with experienced tutors at A$65 per hour, with no contracts. Visit tutero.com/au to start.