According to the third Cost of Living Report published by the Competition Commission on September 4th, the increase in tuition fees at public primary schools between January 2020 and July 2026 was 46%, and at secondary schools—51%, significantly exceeding the overall inflation rate of about 36%.
The Commission explains this growth is due to non-teaching factors, such as municipal service maintenance costs, infrastructure upkeep, and general operating expenses, which are not fully covered by government funding.
According to Stats SA consumer price index data for July, electricity tariffs rose by 8.1% in 2026, and water tariffs by 10.2%, while the overall inflation rate for the year leading up to July was 4.3%. When extending the time frame, the gap becomes more apparent: from January 2020, the cost of electricity increased by approximately 100%, and water by 85%, while the price of gasoline rose by 26% in the first half of the current year.
Considering private schools, it can be understood that they function as real estate assets with the educational process taking place within them: this includes classrooms, halls, fields, kitchens, dormitories, vehicle fleets, and insurance for the entire complex. Each of these elements is tied to a municipal tariff, fuel price, or maintenance contract. The only expense directly related to teaching is the payroll, and this is the item the school has the least control over changing.
Thus, the annual fee notification is largely just a pass-through of costs. Parents perceive this amount as the cost of education, whereas a large portion of it goes towards the buildings where the learning takes place. This is not an accusation, as schools are obligated to pay the bills they receive. This explains why the increase occurs regardless of changes in the curriculum.
CambriLearn, a company specializing in online education for two decades, serves over 80,000 students in more than 100 countries across five curricula and six tracks. These programs include CAPS (Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement) and its African equivalent KABV, as well as IEB (Independent Examinations Board), the International British Curriculum, and Pearson Edexcel, alongside the American K-12 program through its affiliated school, Score Academy Online.
Every teacher holds a recognized pedagogical qualification and is registered with the South African Council for Educators (SACE), with an average of over eight years spent in the classroom. Every assignment is graded by the subject teacher within eight working days.
Accreditation
The school is accredited by Cognia and Pearson Edexcel, and is registered with the South African Institute of Assessment (Sacai) and IEB. Furthermore, it is approved by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The school has 386 parent reviews on Google, Hellopeter, Trustpilot, and Facebook, with an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 across all four platforms.
The basic cost of the company comprises expenses for teachers, curriculum, assessment, and software developed by the school itself. The internal platform, CambriOS, was launched in August and integrates scheduling, assignments, and parent reporting. Salaries follow payroll cycles, and the software tracks overhead costs, but neither is tied to a municipal tariff. When the school accepts another hundred students, it hires teachers; it does not purchase a boiler, a field, or a bus.
This is why the following statement is possible: families who register before November 30, 2026, lock in the 2026 fee for the entire 2027 academic year, regardless of grade or package. Exams remain the same in any case: CAPS and KABV students take the National Certificate through Sacai, and IEB students take it through IEB.
A child requires stable connectivity, a device, and an adult who maintains a routine, and some children prefer a larger, noisier school. For a family considering the 2027 tuition bill and making similar calculations, the key point is that the increase is not a natural law. It is a cost structure, and there is more than one such type.
Payment schedules are provided by grade and curriculum. Consultations can be booked at cambrilearn.com, and the condition for locking in the 2027 payment is specified at cambrilearn.com/lock-in-your-fees-2027.