According to a study published by JustFacts, the average cost of educating a child in the government-funded, public school system is significantly higher than the cost of funding a child in a private school.

According to its research, the cost of raising a child in the public school system in the 2019-20 school year worked out to $17,013 per child. In comparison, the cost of educating a child in a private school worked out to just $9,709 for the same year.

This means that public school costs are 75% higher than private schools

However, public schools also serve a disproportionately higher number of children with disabilities, once that was factored in, JustFacts estimated that the public schools’ costs were just 58% higher than private schools.

JustFacts added that these calculations are in line with a similar study conducted by the Federal Department of Education (DOE) in 1995. Its study determined that the average cost for educating a child in private schools in the 1991-92 school year, worked out to between $3,350-$3,600 per student compared to $5,526 for educating in a government-run school.

JustFacts added that since DOE released that working paper in 1995, it has not provided an annual breakdown of costs for educating a child in the public school system.