Good to know
Good to Know
- Melbourne's 'international curriculum' options mostly come bundled inside elite private schools (IB layered on top of the Australian Curriculum/VCE) rather than as freestanding international schools — the main exceptions are the Japanese School of Melbourne, the AEFE-affiliated French bilingual programs, and International School Melbourne (ISM), which is the city's one dedicated full-IB school.
- If your family's home curriculum is British/Cambridge (IGCSE/A-Level), be aware dedicated Cambridge schools are essentially nonexistent in Melbourne — IB is the practical equivalent most expat families switch to.
- The Victorian government (public) system offers free or low-cost bilingual immersion and even some IB-affiliated programs, a much cheaper option than private IB schools if your visa/residency status allows access to public schooling.
- Places at popular private IB and bilingual schools can be competitive, especially for immersion programs like the Japanese School of Melbourne and the French bilingual streams — enquire well ahead of a planned move.
- Many bilingual/international-community schools (e.g. the French school in Caulfield North) don't publish fees online and expect direct enquiries for a quote, so budget figures for those should be treated as estimates pending a direct quote.
- Melbourne's foreign-family school landscape is different from typical 'international school' hubs: rather than standalone bilingual/IB campuses, the realistic options are private independent schools with international student programs (often boarding-based and restricted to Year 7+), or a government school place via the state's International Student Program.
- If you have a child under Year 7 and no plan to board them, check school residency rules carefully — several major private schools require a parent to actually reside in Melbourne with a younger child, and won't accept boarding arrangements below Year 9.
- Competitive private schools (e.g. Melbourne Girls Grammar) open their enrolment process roughly two years before the intended start date for popular entry years like Year 5 and Year 7 — apply as early as possible if you want a realistic shot at those years.
- Check your visa subclass before budgeting for school fees: some temporary and permanent visa categories exempt a child from Victoria's international student fees entirely, which can make a huge difference to cost.
- Homeschooling is a genuine, legally supported option in Victoria, but you must apply for VRQA registration before withdrawing your child from school — pulling a child out first can leave you technically in breach of compulsory attendance rules.
- Two established Victorian homeschooling support organizations — Home Education Network and the Home Education Association Australia's Victoria chapter — are good starting points for connecting with other homeschooling families and getting registration help.
General IB Fee Context
- Description
- Because most IB is delivered inside mainstream private schools rather than standalone international schools, fees vary mainly by school tier rather than by curriculum choice.
Catholic IB School Range
- Low
- A$8,000
- High
- A$18,000
- Period
- per year
Private IB Secondary Range
- Low
- A$25,000
- High
- A$45,000
- Period
- per year
Broader Premium School Average
- Low
- A$26,970
- High
- A$61,335
- Period
- per year
- Average
- A$39,537
Government School IB Resource Fee
- Low
- A$500
- High
- A$2,000
- Period
- per year, on top of otherwise free government schooling
International Baccalaureate Schools
International School Melbourne (ISM)
- Type
- Dedicated full-IB international school
- Curricula
- IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), and Diploma Programme (DP) — the only Melbourne school built specifically as a dedicated full-IB institution rather than an Australian school offering IB alongside VCE.
- Tuition Notes
- Specific published fee schedule not found at the time of research; positioned as a purpose-built international community rather than a budget option — contact school directly for current fees.
St Leonard's College
- Location
- Brighton East
- Curricula
- IB Primary Years Programme (Prep–Year 4), Australian Curriculum through Middle School, then a choice of VCE or IB Diploma Programme in Years 10–12.
- Tuition Notes
- Falls within Melbourne's broader private-IB fee band.
- Tuition Estimate Note
- No single official figure found; sits within the general premium-school range noted below.
Presbyterian Ladies' College (PLC) Melbourne
- Tuition
- A$52,968
- Location
- Burwood
- Curricula
- Girls' day and boarding school; IB Diploma Programme offered as an alternative to VCE in Years 11–12, with up to a third of students choosing IB.
Genazzano FCJ College
- Location
- Kew
- Curricula
- Catholic girls' school (day and boarding, ages 3–18) offering IB Primary Years and Middle Years Programmes alongside the Australian Curriculum; VCE/VCE VM in senior years.
- Tuition Estimate Note
- No specific published figure found; falls within the general premium-school range noted below.
Methodist Ladies' College (MLC)
- Location
- Kew
- Curricula
- Girls' day/boarding school, P–12; blends Australian Curriculum with the IB Diploma Programme, offering VCE, VCE VET and IB pathways across 60+ subjects.
- Tuition Estimate Note
- No specific published figure found; falls within the general premium-school range noted below.
Wesley College Melbourne
- Location
- Campuses in St Kilda, Elsternwick and Glen Waverley
- Curricula
- Offers the IB from early childhood through senior school alongside VCE; co-educational, operating since 1866.
- Tuition Estimate Note
- No specific published figure found; falls within the general premium-school range noted below.
Lauriston Girls' School
- Location
- Armadale (day school for girls aged 0–18)
- Curricula
- Australian Curriculum combined with IB Diploma for Years 11–12 (choice of IB or VCE); languages taught include French, Chinese and Latin.
- Tuition Estimate Note
- No specific published figure found; falls within the general premium-school range noted below.
Firbank Grammar School
- Tuition
- A$41,804
- Location
- Brighton (senior campus), Sandringham (junior)
- Curricula
- Independent Anglican girls' school; listed among Melbourne's ~30+ IB World Schools; day and boarding options for senior years.
Ruyton Girls' School
- Location
- Kew
- Curricula
- IB Primary Years Programme in Junior School; runs a coordinate program with neighbouring Camberwell Grammar for shared VCE classes in senior years.
- Tuition Estimate Note
- No specific published figure found.
Sophia Mundi Steiner School
- Location
- Abbotsford/inner Melbourne
- Curricula
- Independent Steiner (Waldorf) school blending Rudolf Steiner pedagogy (Prep–Year 10) with the IB Diploma Programme in Years 11–12 — a distinctive Steiner+IB hybrid not replicated elsewhere in the city.
- Tuition Estimate Note
- No specific published figure found.
Australian International Academy
- Location
- Coburg (King Khalid primary campus) and Melbourne Senior Campus (secondary)
- Curricula
- Australia's first Islamic school; blends the IB continuum (PYP through to MYP/DP) with the Australian Curriculum, delivered within an Islamic ethos; Arabic taught as a language and Islamic Studies integrated across subjects.
- Tuition Estimate Note
- No specific published figure found.
Carey Baptist Grammar School
- Location
- Kew/Donvale campuses
- Curricula
- Independent co-educational day school, Early Learning to Year 12; listed among Melbourne's IB-curriculum schools.
- Tuition Estimate Note
- No specific published figure found.
Bilingual And Language Specific Schools
Japanese School of Melbourne
- Location
- Caulfield South
- Curricula
- Recognized by the Japanese Government as a primary and secondary school; lessons conducted in Japanese except for English as an Additional Language classes; follows the Japanese national curriculum for expatriate Japanese-speaking families.
Tuition
- Year 9
- A$22,368
- Kindergarten
- A$20,964
Melbourne French School (French Section of Caulfield Junior College)
- Location
- Caulfield North
- Curricula
- Bilingual French–Australian program operated within Caulfield Junior College; recognized by the Victorian Education Department and certified by AEFE (Agency for French Teaching Abroad); kindergarten through primary (roughly 40 kindergarten, 300 primary students).
- Tuition Notes
- Fees not published; school asks families to contact directly for a quote.
ÉCole Secondaire Française De Melbourne (ESFM)
- Location
- Hosted at Glen Eira College, Caulfield East
- Curricula
- Secondary continuation of the AEFE-affiliated French bilingual program, allowing students to continue French/Australian dual curriculum beyond primary school.
- Tuition Notes
- Fees not published; contact school directly.
Government Designated Bilingual Programs
- Cost Note
- As government schools, these carry only standard public-school administrative/materials fees rather than private tuition; specific amounts vary by school and were not itemized at the time of research.
- Description
- Victoria's Department of Education funds Designated Bilingual Programs inside otherwise-standard (free/low-cost) public schools, teaching curriculum content through English and a second language. These are administratively distinct from private 'international schools' and generally do not charge international-school-level tuition.
Examples
- Auburn High School — French bilingual program
- Caulfield Junior College — French and Hebrew bilingual programs
- Deutsche Schule Melbourne (German-language designated program) — German
- Fitzroy Primary School — French
- Bayswater South Primary School — German
- Brunswick South Primary School — Italian
- Camberwell Primary School — French
- Caulfield Primary School — Japanese
- Footscray Primary School — Italian
- Huntingdale Primary School — Japanese
- Richmond West Primary School — Chinese and Vietnamese
Homeschooling
- Legal Status
- Legal and explicitly supported by the Victorian Government, but formal registration is compulsory, not optional, for any child of compulsory school age.
- Who Must Register
- Any child living in Victoria who is of compulsory school age (6 to 17) and not enrolled in a school or approved distance-education provider must be registered for home education with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA).
- Compliance Reviews
- Each year, up to 10% of registered home-schooling families are randomly selected by the VRQA for a review to check that regular and efficient instruction is being provided; reviews can be conducted by phone, in person, or via submitted evidence, and the VRQA is legally barred from entering a family's home without permission.
- Curriculum Flexibility
- There is no mandated curriculum — parents are not required to follow the Victorian Curriculum and can choose any educational approach (e.g. Montessori, classical, unschooling) as long as the eight learning areas are substantially covered.
- Partial Enrollment Option
- Registered home-schooled children can partially enrol at their neighbourhood government school for specific subjects or activities (e.g. sport, a language, NAPLAN testing) if the school principal agrees — this is discretionary and arranged directly with the principal, not guaranteed by the VRQA.
Registration Process
- Parents apply directly to the VRQA and must submit a learning plan for each child (a VRQA template can be used, or parents may design their own) that substantially addresses eight mandated learning areas, taken as a whole, and is consistent with the principles and practice of Australian democracy.
- Applications require proof of the child's name and date of birth (e.g. passport or birth certificate) and proof of the applicant's parental responsibility (e.g. Medicare card, or a court order where parental responsibility is shared), plus a Victorian residential address.
- The VRQA must notify an applicant in writing of its decision within 28 days of receiving a complete application; in practice many applications are assessed sooner.
- Children must remain enrolled in and attending their current school until the home-schooling registration is formally approved — schools require the VRQA's written registration notice before they will cancel an enrollment.
- Registration must be renewed annually: parents are required to notify the VRQA in writing by 30 November each year that home schooling will continue into the following calendar year.
Local Homeschooling Community
Home Education Network (HEN)
- Source
- home-ed.vic.edu.au
- Description
- A Victoria-based, volunteer-run support organization for home-educating families, providing registration guidance, learning-plan templates, and a summary of the relevant legislation.
Home Education Association Australia — Victoria chapter
- Source
- hea.edu.au/vic
- Description
- The Victorian branch of a national home-education association, offering state-specific registration guidance and resources for local families.
International And Bilingual School Enrollment
- Market Reality
- Melbourne does not have the large network of standalone K-12 'international schools' (IB/bilingual campuses) that exists in many Asian nomad hubs. The realistic equivalent for a foreign family is either (a) a fee-paying place in an established independent/private school's international student program, or (b) enrollment in a government school under the Victorian Department of Education's International Student Program (ISP), or (c) a standard government school place if the parent holds a visa that exempts the child from international fees (e.g. many permanent and some temporary skilled visas).
Indicative Fees
- Private School International Fee Range Low Per Year
- A$20,000
- Private School International Fee Range High Per Year
- A$40,000
- Elite Melbourne Private School Fee Can Exceed Per Year
- A$50,000
- Government School International Student Fee Year7 10 Per Year
- A$16,769
- Fee Notes
- Parents holding a permanent visa or an equivalent fee-exempt temporary visa are exempted from paying international student fees at government schools; fee-liable families pay the amounts above and must complete the government's International Student Program enrollment before the child can start.
Required Documents
- Passport and visa documentation for the child (student visa subclass 500/571, or evidence of a visa subclass exempting the child from international fees)
- Formal school application form (online, via the school's admissions portal or an authorised education agent)
- Prior school reports/transcripts, and for some private schools an entrance assessment (e.g. AEAS testing for Melbourne Grammar School)
- Evidence of accommodation/welfare arrangements for under-18 students on a student visa (parent residence, approved relative, or approved homestay/boarding)
- Payment of the letter-of-offer fees, after which the school issues a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) needed to apply for the student visa
- For government-school (ISP) enrollment: evidence of the child's visa category so the school/Department can determine whether international fees apply
Typical Timeline And Waitlists
- Elite independent schools plan admissions years ahead of most nomad timelines. At Melbourne Girls Grammar, for example, the enrolment phase is activated approximately two years prior to commencement, and Year 5 and Year 7 entry points are highly competitive with waitlists generally applying.
- Melbourne Grammar School only enrols international (student-visa) students from Year 7 to Year 12, not Prep to Year 6, and requires an entrance test administered by Australian Education Assessment Services (AEAS) before an offer is made.
- Once an offer is made at a private school, acceptance windows are short and binding — Melbourne Girls Grammar gives families 14 days to accept by returning the Acceptance of Offer documentation with a non-refundable acceptance fee, and Year 5/7 families must also pay a tuition deposit the year before commencing.
- For government-school international enrollment, fee-paying students cannot start until the Department confirms their International Student Program (ISP) enrolment and fee payment are complete and a place is confirmed with the school — this happens after, not before, visa/CoE paperwork, so it is not a fast process for a mid-year arrival.
Residency And Guardianship Rules Affecting Timing
- Younger international students (Prep to Year 6) at private schools such as Wesley College must reside with a parent in Melbourne — they cannot board — while Year 7–8 students may reside with a parent or a Department of Home Affairs–approved relative, and only Year 9+ students can use school boarding or an approved homestay.
- At Melbourne Grammar School, any student entering on a student visa must live in the school's boarding houses and must have a Local Support Person living in Melbourne.
Melbourne has very few freestanding 'international schools' in the classic expat sense. Instead, the international-curriculum market is dominated by elite Australian private (mostly Anglican, Catholic, Uniting/Presbyterian, or non-denominational) schools that layer the IB Diploma Programme on top of the Australian Curriculum / Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), plus a small number of language-specific bilingual schools (Japanese, French) and designated bilingual programs inside Victorian government schools. Dedicated Cambridge (IGCSE/A-Level) schools are essentially absent in Melbourne.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
More About Melbourne
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.