The 50 public schools in Australia where parents pay the highest voluntary fees

‘Some parents [may] think that if they don’t pay these contributions, their kids might have lower quality teaching and learning in that school,’ says Finnish education expert Pasi Sahlberg. Photograph: IPGGutenbergUKLtd/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Many parents with children in public school are paying thousands of dollars a year in fees and contributions at levels rivalling the compulsory fees paid to attend some private schools, leading to concerns the principle of a free, government-funded education is being undermined.

At the 50 public schools where parents paid the most in fees and contributions, parents paid an average of more than $1,800 a student, an analysis of the latest funding data from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, provided to Guardian Australia by the Greens, reveals.