From 10 Lakh To 15 Lakh, These Premium Schools Charge A Fortune For School Fee

A few days back, while having a casual conversation with my friend, I asked her if she wished to have another baby. She replied, “India mai bacha na ab luxury hai. Tabhi plan kar sakte hai jab padhai ka kharcha utha paye” (having a child is like a luxury in India. You can only plan a child if you can afford the education fees). 

The rising cost of education has led to a substantial financial burden on parents in India and they are constantly juggling between the fear of not being able to provide the best education to their children and the need to meet their own financial obligations. While Government schools take a monthly fee starting from Rs. 200 to Rs. 1000, Private schools charge lakhs. Here is a list of India’s priciest schools. 

#1. The Doon School, Dehradun 

Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, The Doon School was established in 1935. It is a private boarding school for boys. The school has nearly 580 students, lying in the age group of 12 to 18 years. The Doon School is listed amongst the top educational institutions in our country and has been accredited as the best school in India by acclaimed publications like BBC and The New York Times. It is the alma mater of various known personalities and celebrities like Rahul Gandhi, Karan Thapar, Ali Fazal, Amitav Ghosh, and Kamal Nath. 

Wondering what the annual fee could be? It's around INR 10 to 11 lakhs per annum, with semester expenses of 25,000. 

#2. The Scindia School, Gwalior

Also known as ‘Sardar School’, The Scindia School is a private boarding school for boys which was established in 1897 in the Gwalior Fort, exclusively for the royal children, especially the Marathas. Still run by the Scindia Family, it is now open to everyone. The school is known for its remarkable infrastructure and features. Some of the notable alumni of the school include superstar Salman Khan, Mukesh Ambani, Anurag Kashyap, Arbaaz Khan, and Nitin Mukesh.

The annual fee of the school is around INR 12 - INR 13 lakhs. 

#3. The Mayo College, Rajasthan 

Founded in 1875 by the 6th Earl of Mayo, Richard Bourke, it’s a boy-only boarding school in Ajmer, Rajasthan. The school campus covers a vast area of 187 acres and serves around 800 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 1:9. The school has a distinguished faculty of 150+ and offers more than 40 different options for sports and co-curricular activities, including competition and trips for national and global exposure. Some notable alumni of the school include K. Natwar Singh, Indra Sinha, Vivek Oberoi, Amit Goyal, and Arup Patnaik. 

The annual fee is around INR 6.5  - 7 lakhs for Indian students and approximately INR 13 lakhs for NRIs. 

#4. Woodstock School, Mussoorie 

Woodstock is Asia’s oldest international boarding school with over 160 years of educational experience. Listed among India’s leading co-educational residential schools, Woodstock School is located just 1km outside Mussoorie, on the road towards Tehri Town. The school has over 450 students from 30 nationalities. Some of the notable alumni include Tom Alter, Chris Anderson, James Taylor, Stephen Alter, and Jeet Singh. 

The annual fee is around INR 16 lakhs for classes 6 to 8 and INR 17.7 lakhs for 10th and 12th. 

#5. Welham Boys School, Dehradun

The all-boys private boarding school was established by Miss Hersilia Susie Oliphant in 1937 and has been ranked by the Educational World Rankings 2022 as the no 1 boys boarding school in India. Later the sister school, Welham Girls’ School was also established. The school has over 650 students in the age group of 9 to 18 years and a student-teacher ratio of 1:9 approximately. Some of the well-known alumni include Sanjay Gandhi, Vikram Seth, Rajiv Gandhi, Zayed Khan, and Jubin Nautiyal. 

The fee is around INR 5.7 to INR 6 lakhs per annum. 

#6. Birla International School, Pilani

Ranked 6th on the list of the Top boarding schools in the country, Birla International (also known as Vidya Niketan School) is one of the oldest and most prestigious educational institutions in Pilanii, which is known as the ‘City of Education and Centre of Excellence.’ The school was established in 1901 and has been a leading pioneer of quality education for the past 120 years. Some of the well-acclaimed alumni include V.K. Singh, Vinod Rai, and Vivek Chand Sehgal. 

The annual school fee is around 2.9 lakhs for classes 3 to 10 classes and 3.10 lakhs for classes 10 to 12.  

What do you think about the fee structure of these schools?