Back-to-school: Cost of Grade 8 surges far beyond inflation

As South Africa’s unified school calendar begins on Wednesday, 14 January, new figures show that the cost of sending a child to high school is rising far faster than the general cost of living, placing additional pressure on already strained household budgets.

An analysis released this week shows that the minimum “entry fee” for a single Grade 8 pupil at a public fee-paying high school now stands at R5 015.78, driven largely by increases in uniform and stationery prices.

“The total was derived by aggregating January 2026 price lists from major South African retailers, including PEP, Ackermans, Makro, and School & Leisure,” the report by Teneo Online School noted.

The data indicate that the cost of mandatory physical school requirements rose by about 8% year-on-year.

This is more than double the current national inflation rate of 3.5%, meaning back-to-school costs are outpacing inflation by roughly 128%.

Uniforms and stationery drive increases

The breakdown of costs highlights how quickly essential items add up for families. Uniform essentials, including a blazer, shirts, jersey and trousers or skirts, account for R2 714 of the total.

In total, parents are required to spend just over R5 000 before a pupil even enters a classroom.

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Minimum wage parents face a month’s labour

Measured against earnings, the burden becomes even clearer. Following the gazetting of the 2026 National Minimum Wage at R30.23 an hour, a parent earning the minimum wage would need to work 166 hours to cover the cost of uniforms and stationery alone.

That equates to more than a full month of 40-hour work weeks, excluding school fees, transport, meals or extramural costs.

“South African parents are facing a ‘compliance crisis’ where the cost of looking like a student is becoming a barrier to being one,” said Saul Geffen, CEO of Teneo and founder of the Smart School System.

“When a school blazer costs nearly half a month’s minimum wage, the system is failing its most vulnerable.”

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Why toilet paper?

Parents were left frustrated by the discovery that schools were requiring cleaning essentials and toilet paper as part of their stationery list.

On social media, one parent noted that school requirements have become expensive.

“My daughter is going to Grade 9, the new stationery list and books needed this year are just more than R4 000,” she said.

Furthermore, one parent questioned why families are still expected to buy toilet paper and disinfectants.

“What is happening in schools? Don’t they give out free stationery anymore? Parents are paying over R1 300 for stationery and are still expected to buy toilet paper and Jik. Is the department not supposed to supply cleaning products? Mind you, this is a government school we’re talking about,” the parent wrote.

Another parent raised concerns about accountability, asking why families must supply items such as dishwashing liquid, Handy Andy, wet wipes and toilet paper while also paying school fees and contributing to fundraisers and raffles.

“What is happening with school fees and all these fundraisers? When parents ask if they can buy for the first term only, they get rude attitudes,” the post read.

Others echoed similar concerns, with one parent saying they were required to send “two bottles of Domestos” and questioning what the education department was providing in terms of cleaning equipment.

Unified calendar intensifies January pressure

For the third consecutive year, all provinces are starting the school year on the same day, with about 13 million pupils returning to classrooms simultaneously.

Analysts say this unified calendar has intensified the so-called “January squeeze”.

With demand peaking at once, retailers face supply chain pressure, while parents encounter higher prices and shortages, particularly for specialised or branded items required by schools.

While alternative schooling models have been put forward as a way to reduce these costs, the broader issue remains the rising price of basic education-related goods.

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