In a striking revelation, a new survey has found that schools across India have significantly increased their fees over the past three years, with some institutions nearly doubling the cost of education.
According to the survey by LocalCircles, 8% of participating parents reported that the schools attended by their children have raised fees by more than 80% between 2022 and 2025. The findings point to a growing financial burden on families as the cost of private education continues to surge.
The survey, which gathered over 31,000 responses from parents across 309 districts, highlights that 44% of respondents experienced a fee hike in the range of 50-80%. Another 8% saw increases of 30-50%, while 27% cited hikes between 10-30%. Only 8% of parents said there had been no change in school fees during the same period.
These rising costs are prompting serious concerns among parents about how they will manage future increases, especially as most private schools continue to revise their fee structures annually.
Justifying the hikes, the Association of Primary and Secondary Schools of Karnataka explained that increasing fees is necessary to accommodate yearly teacher salary revisions and growing teaching-related expenses. They argue that without competitive pay, schools risk losing qualified staff to other institutions.
As parents grapple with the escalating costs, the debate around affordability and access to quality education in India is likely to intensify.