Three of Australia’s wealthiest private schools got double the federal funding they were entitled to last year

Figures outlined in a Senate estimates briefing show four in 10 private schools were overfunded last year to the tune of $2.5bn. Photograph: chameleonseye/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Three of Sydney’s wealthiest private schools received double the federal funding they were entitled to last year under the official resource standard, new data shows, despite the introduction of reforms to tackle overfunding.

Under the school funding agreement, struck in 2019, the commonwealth is meant to contribute 80% of the schooling resource standard for private schools, while state and territory governments are responsible for the remaining 20%. The split is reversed for public schools.