New Year, New Stress for Families as Back-to-School Costs Rocket

Australian parents are faced with paying around $700 for primary and $1,200 for secondary school costs. And that’s just uniforms and equipment.

Australian Swimmer Ariarne Titmus talks to students at St Patricks College in Launceston, Australia, on Sept. 15, 2021. Steve Bell/Getty Images for TLA

With a return to school on the horizon, Australian families face considerable costs associated with equipping their children with uniforms and equipment, and a new survey shows around a third are struggling to afford it.

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) estimates that 5.1 million people will spend an average of $525 (US$323) each on back-to-school merchandise, up from an average of $512 in 2024. This will net retailers around $2.7 billion in sales, up $150 million (5.9 percent) over last year, driven by population growth and inflation.