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Private education spending for grade school students hits record high in 2025

Published: 12 Mar. 2026, 15:46 Updated: 12 Mar. 2026, 17:13

Parents and students listen to a special admissions strategy session for 2026 college admissions held at a cram school in Daechi-dong, Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on July 27, 2025. [YONHAP]

The average monthly spending for private education for elementary, middle and high school students reached a record 604,000 won ($430) in 2025, and the gap in spending between high- and low-income households widened further, according to new data released by the government.

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Data and Statistics released on Thursday the 2025 report on private education expenditures for elementary, middle and high school students based on a survey of about 74,000 students at roughly 3,000 schools nationwide.

The private education participation rate stood at 75.7 percent, and monthly spending per participating student rose 2 percent from a year earlier to 604,000 won, the highest figure on record.

Monthly spending per participating student rose to 512,000 won for elementary school students, 632,000 won for middle school students and 793,000 won for high school students.

Total private education spending in 2025, however, fell to 27.5 trillion won, down 1.7 trillion won, or 5.7 percent, from a year earlier.

The decline was attributed in part to a drop in the number of students, which fell from 5.13 million to 5.02 million over the same period. Total spending had increased every year from 2020, when it stood at 19.4 trillion won, through 2024, when it reached 29.2 trillion won, before declining for the first time in five years.

Average monthly spending per student across all years, including those who did not participate in private education, fell 3.5 percent to 458,000 won.

[MINISTRY OF EDUCATION]

Among participating students, spending on academic subjects was highest in English at 281,000 won a month, followed by math at 270,000 won, Korean at 185,000 won and social studies and science at 166,000 won.

The fastest growth was in social studies and science, up 13.8 percent, followed by Korean, up 13.1 percent, math, up 8.7 percent, and English, up 6.2 percent.

By grade, spending was highest on English for sixth-year elementary school students at 267,000 won, on math for third-year middle school students at 312,000 won and on math for second-year high school students at 399,000 won.

The survey also found that higher-income households spent more on private education. Students from households with a monthly income of at least 8 million won spent 662,000 won a month on average, the highest among all income brackets.

A view of Daechi-dong, a neighborhood dense with private education institutes in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Dec. 4, 2025 [YONHAP]

Students from households earning less than 3 million won a month spent 192,000 won, the lowest figure. That was about 3.4 times lower than the amount spent by households making at least 8 million won a month.

Spending by the highest-income group fell 2.1 percent, while spending by the lowest-income group dropped 6.6 percent, suggesting lower-income households cut back more sharply.

Monthly private education spending per student averaged 780,000 won in dual income households, higher than 753,000 won in father-only breadwinner households and 622,000 won in mother-only breadwinner households.

“This was a sample survey, so actual private education spending could be even higher,” said Kwon Soon-hyoung, a senior research fellow at the Korean Educational Development Institute. “Even though the school-age population is shrinking, demand remains strong in the affluent private education market, including preparation for so-called kindergarten entrance exams.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM MIN-SANG, LEE BO-RAM, KIM KYUNG-HEE [[email protected]]