TL;DR: The comparison is not free versus expensive. Public schools charge no tuition, and DepEd Order No. 19, s. 2008 forbids collecting any voluntary fee at enrolment as a prerequisite — a rule reiterated in the current enrolment policy. Private schools set their own rates under Batas Pambansa Blg. 232, constrained by RA 6728's consultation and 70% salary requirements, and offset by government subsidies worth ₱9,000–₱13,000 a year in junior high and up to ₱22,500 in senior high. The out-of-pocket categories are nearly identical on both sides; the amounts depend on your city and your school, not on the label.
Start with what is actually fixed by rule
Most private-versus-public comparisons open with two cost tables full of numbers nobody can source. This one opens with the things that are written down somewhere you can check, because those are the facts that should drive the decision.
Public schools: no tuition, and no fee at the door
Public elementary and secondary schools charge no tuition. Less widely known is how firmly DepEd protects the enrolment moment itself. DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2025 (Revised Basic Education Enrollment Policy) reiterates DepEd Order No. 19, s. 2008 (No Collection Policy): no voluntary fees shall be collected during early registration or enrolment as a prerequisite for registration and enrolment in public schools. Enrolment forms are not for sale, and schools may duplicate and translate them freely.
The same order's policy statement is that all types of learners shall be accepted in any public and private school nationwide, and it reduces documentation to a birth certificate submitted once for the whole of K to 12, with nine secondary documents accepted in its place and a deadline of 31 October of the current school year for submitting them.
So a family with no money and incomplete papers can enrol a child in a public school. That is the floor the system guarantees, and it is worth knowing precisely, because it is the thing most often not believed.
Private schools: own rates, with two conditions
Section 42 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 232 provides that each private school shall determine its own tuition and other school fees. RA 6728 (10 June 1989) attaches conditions:
- Section 10 — consultation. Any proposed tuition increase must be preceded by consultations with duly organised parents and teachers associations and faculty associations at secondary level, and with student councils, alumni and faculty associations at college level.
- Section 5(2) — the 70% rule. Seventy percent of the amount allotted for tuition fee increases must go to salaries, wages, allowances and other benefits of teaching and non-teaching personnel, excluding administrators who are principal stockholders.
Private schools also file their fee documentation with their Schools Division Office and must have fees approved before collecting them. If an increase appeared without consultation, that is a specific objection with a named legal basis.
The subsidies that close part of the gap
This is the most concrete, checkable money in the comparison, and it is set by DepEd Order No. 011, s. 2026 (Revised E-GASTPE Guidelines).
ESC grant — Grades 7 to 10
| Location of the private school | Per year |
|---|---|
| National Capital Region | ₱13,000 |
| Highly urbanised cities outside NCR | ₱11,000 |
| All other locations | ₱9,000 |
Paid to the participating private junior high school. The amount received in Grade 7 stays the same across the full four-year term. If the school's declared total fees are lower than the grant, the school is paid only the total fees.
Senior High School Voucher — Grades 11 and 12
| Location of the private school | Categories A, B, C | Categories D, E |
|---|---|---|
| National Capital Region | ₱22,500 | ₱18,000 |
| Highly urbanised cities outside NCR | ₱20,000 | ₱16,000 |
| All other locations | ₱17,500 | ₱14,000 |
Same rule: the school is paid the lower of its total school fees or the maximum voucher amount. Categories A to D are priority applicants processed through the participating school during enrolment; Category E applies online through the Online Voucher Application Portal and is processed after the priority categories.
The practical consequence is the most useful thing in this guide. At a private school whose total fees sit at or just under the voucher cap, the government transfer can cover essentially the whole bill. That is a real class of school — small parish and community schools in particular — and it collapses the private-versus-public cost question for families who qualify. Our guides to the ESC grant and the SHS Voucher Program cover eligibility.
The same order also sets the Teachers' Salary Subsidy at ₱24,000 per eligible private school teacher per school year for ten months of active service. It does not reduce your bill directly, but it is part of how low-fee ESC schools retain staff.
What we removed, and why
The earlier version of this page carried two full cost tables — school supplies, uniforms, backpacks, PTA fees, projects, transport, daily baon, school service vans, technology fees — with peso ranges for each on both the public and private side, plus a total range for each.
None of it was attributable. The ranges were plausible and entirely unsourced, and a plausible invented number is worse than no number, because it gets quoted. They have been removed rather than widened.
The categories are real, and they are the right checklist. What follows is that checklist without invented amounts, so you can price it against your own city, your own commute and your own school's actual requirements.
The out-of-pocket checklist, both sides
Work through this with the specific schools you are considering. Ask the school which items it requires, which it sells, and which you may buy anywhere.
Uniforms. Ask how many sets are required, whether PE and formal wear are separate, and crucially whether the school mandates a specific supplier. A mandated supplier removes your ability to shop, and it is the single biggest variable in uniform cost.
Books and workbooks. Public schools issue textbooks. Ask whether they are sufficient in number or whether photocopying is expected. In private schools ask for the booklist and whether titles are reused across siblings or years, and whether imported textbooks are required.
Supplies. DTI publishes an annual school supplies price guide, the Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies, as a reference for parents before the school year opens. Use the current edition rather than remembered prices, and take the school's own list rather than a generic one.
Transport. This is frequently the largest single line for both public and private families, and it is entirely local. Price your actual route, both directions, times the number of class days. SY 2026-2027 has 201 class days under DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2026, which gives you a multiplier that is a fact rather than a guess. For private school families, price the school service or van against public transport rather than assuming.
Food. Same arithmetic — your actual daily figure times 201. Ask whether the school has a canteen, whether packed food is allowed, and whether there is a feeding programme.
School contributions and projects. In public schools, remember the no-collection rule applies to enrolment as a prerequisite. PTA contributions and classroom funds outside that are a separate conversation, and you are entitled to ask what is genuinely voluntary. In private schools ask for the list of activity, event and project charges for the year level.
Technology. Ask directly whether a device is required, whether the school lends or sells one, and whether home internet is assumed for assignments. This has quietly become a real cost on both sides.
One-time charges. Entrance, matriculation, development, capital and application fees are first-year items at many private schools and can dwarf a year's tuition difference. Ask which charges are one-time before comparing annual figures.
What differs beyond money
Class size. For Senior High specifically, DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2026 sets maximums of 40 learners for Core Subjects, 30 for Academic Electives and 25 for Tech-Pro Electives, while allowing schools that cannot comply to run larger classes with mitigation strategies. That gives you a benchmark to ask any school about, public or private.
Curriculum. Both sectors implement the DepEd curriculum. Private schools may add institutional subjects reflecting their own philosophy, mission and vision under Section 9.1 of DepEd Order No. 88, s. 2010 (Revised Manual of Regulations for Private Schools in Basic Education) — provided those subjects do not substitute for the prescribed curriculum.
Calendar. From SY 2026-2027 public schools follow a three-term calendar under DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2026: 201 class days, opening 8 June 2026 and ending 8 April 2027, in terms of 68, 65 and 67 days with a two-week block between terms. Private schools are encouraged to adopt it but may keep a two-semester calendar if the prescribed instructional hours are met. If you have children in both sectors, check the calendars before booking anything.
Government programmes. Public school learners have access to the school feeding programme and, for qualified households, 4Ps support.
Making the decision
Price the specific schools, not the categories. A public school 400 metres away and a public school across a city are different financial propositions. So are two private schools with the same tuition and different supplier policies.
Check subsidy eligibility before ruling private out. If you qualify for an ESC grant or a voucher and the school's fees are near the cap, the arithmetic can invert entirely.
Ask for everything in writing. Schedule of fees, booklist, uniform requirements and supplier rules, and the instalment schedule.
Do not confuse tuition with total cost. A school advertising low tuition with heavy miscellaneous and other fees can cost more than one doing the reverse. Ask for the total for the specific year level.
Remember what is guaranteed. No child can be refused a public school place for lacking documents or money, and no fee may be collected at enrolment as a prerequisite. Whatever you decide, that floor exists.
Find schools near you
Whether you are leaning public or private, compare the actual schools near you on SchoolFinderPH by location, level and type, then get the fee schedule from each one directly.
Related reading: private school tuition in Metro Manila, private school tuition in Cebu, homeschool costs, enrollment requirements at private schools, and tuition payment plans.
