Japan education costs: First-year high schoolers face highest expenses

Data from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s ‘FY2023 Survey on Children’s Learning Costs’ reveals significant disparities in educational spending in Japan. For high school students, the first year is identified as the most expensive due to initial costs such as admission fees, uniforms, and school supplies. In public high schools, the average annual cost for first-year students is 700,240 yen, while private high school students face an average of 1,392,712 yen.

At the elementary school level, a stark economic gap exists between public and private institutions. The average annual learning cost for a child in public elementary school is 366,599 yen, whereas private elementary school costs reach 1,741,516 yen—approximately 4.7 times higher. A significant portion of these expenses stems from extracurricular activities, including cram schools and travel, which place a heavy financial burden on households.