Children who attend private schools from kindergarten through high school face total education costs, including tuition and cram school fees, of approximately ¥19.76 million, the highest level on record, according to a report by the education ministry.

The fiscal 2023 survey, released Wednesday, marked the first compilation of data since the previous survey in fiscal 2021, which had been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The resumption of school trips and study-abroad programs following the pandemic’s easing is believed to have driven up costs. Even for public schools, total expenses reached a record high of approximately ¥5.96 million.

Conducted biennially since fiscal 1994, the survey targeted about 53,000 parents from 448 kindergartens and 1,155 elementary, junior high and high schools nationwide last fiscal year, garnering responses from 21,768 participants.

For kindergarten, the annual costs were around ¥180,000 for public institutions and ¥340,000 for private ones. At elementary schools, the costs were around ¥330,000 for public schools and a record-high ¥1.82 million for private schools.

At the junior high school level costs also reached record highs, at around ¥540,000 per year for public schools and ¥1.56 million for private schools. For high schools, the figure was around ¥590,000 for public schools, marking a new record, and ¥1.03 million for private schools.

For 15 years of education, from age 3 in kindergarten to the third year of full-time high school, total education costs amounted to around ¥5.96 million for children attending only public schools.

For those attending only private schools, the total cost was approximately ¥19.76 million. That makes a private education around 3.31 times more expensive than public schooling.

In December 2023, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike announced a plan by the city to make high school tuition effectively free for all students, regardless of family income.

She highlighted the challenges that child-rearing families currently face, including anxiety about the future. Koike emphasized that by taking bold steps, such as eliminating high school tuition fees or reducing the cost of school lunches, the city aims to provide swift and comprehensive support for families raising children.

In August last year, the Osaka Prefectural Government also announced plans to make education free for all high-school students from prefectural households starting in 2026, gradually removing income limits from 2024 — the first initiative of its kind in Japan. The plan also applies to some private high-schools in neighboring prefectures for students living Osaka and attending those schools, but concerns persist that it may create disparities among students based on their location.