Total private education spending for elementary, middle, and high school students in South Korea declined for the first time in five years, but monthly spending per participating student reached a record 604,000 won ($447), up 2.0% from the previous year, indicating that the financial burden on families engaged in private tutoring has actually increased.
According to the "2025 Elementary, Middle, and High School Private Education Survey" released by the National Data Center and the Ministry of Education on Thursday, total private education spending last year amounted to 27.5351 trillion won ($20.4 billion). This represents a decrease of approximately 1.7 trillion won compared to 29.1919 trillion won in 2024.
The decline stems from a natural reduction in total spending as the student population fell by 120,000 (2.3%) to 5.02 million. Analysts attribute the decrease not to cooling enthusiasm for private education but to shrinking school-age population and economic slowdown forcing more families to abandon private tutoring.
This marks the first time monthly education spending per participating student has exceeded 600,000 won. By school level, participating students spent an average of 512,000 won at elementary school, 632,000 won at middle school, and 793,000 won at high school. First-year high school students recorded the highest monthly spending at 806,000 won.
Meanwhile, a Seoul National University dental school student who grew up studying in the Daechi-dong academy district—a so-called "Daechi-dong Kid"—recently drew attention after revealing details of private education spending.
The student, identified only as Mr. A, who graduated from elementary, middle, and high school in Seoul's Daechi-dong before entering Seoul National University's dental school, appeared on a YouTube channel and disclosed spending 4 to 5 million won monthly on private education during the third year of high school. During the final two months before the college entrance exam, additional Korean language classes pushed spending beyond 5 million won. He added that repeating the exam year could cost up to 50 million won annually.
During his final year of high school, Mr. A attended a total of nine academies, one or two per subject. After school, he attended academy classes until 10 p.m. and studied at a reading room until 4 a.m. Compared to the government statistics showing average monthly private education spending of 793,000 won for high school participating students, the reality at the frontlines of college admissions far exceeds the average.
The polarization of private education along income lines has also become more pronounced. Students from households earning 8 million won or more monthly spent an average of 662,000 won per month on private education. In contrast, households earning less than 3 million won spent only 192,000 won—a gap of more than threefold. Participation rates also differed significantly, with 84.9% for households earning 8 million won or more versus 52.8% for those earning less than 3 million won.
Regional disparities are equally severe. Students in Seoul spent more than twice as much on private education as those in rural areas. By region, Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Sejong City recorded relatively higher spending. For high school students, Seoul led at 767,000 won, followed by Gyeonggi at 573,000 won and Incheon at 505,000 won.