BENGALURU: An international school in Bengaluru has triggered a social media storm after details of its steep fee structure surfaced online. According to a viral post on X (formerly Twitter), parents are required to pay as much as ₹7.35 lakh annually for a child entering Grade 1, with the costs escalating to ₹11 lakh a year in senior grades.

Viral post on fee structure

The information was shared by a user named Hardik Pandya, who posted a snapshot of the school’s annual fee structure for the 2025–26 academic session. The document, which has not been independently verified, showed that the Primary Years Programme (Grades 1–5) charges parents ₹3,67,500 per term, collected twice a year, adding up to ₹7,35,000 annually.

Additionally, a non-refundable admission fee of ₹1 lakh is payable at the time of enrollment, along with an application fee of ₹1,000.

Higher classes costlier

The fee structure rises steeply in higher grades. For Grade 11 and 12, the annual programme fee stands at ₹11 lakh, placing the institution among the costliest private schools in India.

Such fee levels, while not unprecedented in global terms, have sparked debate over whether premier private institutions in India are affordable to the majority.

Public reactions online

The post quickly went viral, prompting widespread reactions. One user argued that such costs are “unaffordable even for an IT couple earning a combined pretax income of ₹50 lakh per annum with two school-going children.”

Another said, “Education is a basic human right. These fee structures only widen inequality in society.”

On the other hand, some users defended the pricing, stating that private education operates in a free market. “For a premier institution, ₹60,000 a month seems reasonable,” one comment read. Others, however, pushed back, with one user remarking, “Anyone who considers this a reasonable amount needs to touch grass.”

Comparisons with global institutions

Some netizens compared the Bengaluru school’s fee structure with international benchmarks. They pointed out that tuition at American International School, Chennai costs around ₹27 lakh per year, highlighting that while high, the Bengaluru fees are not the most expensive in the country.

Broader debate on private schooling

The controversy has reignited conversations about access to quality education in India. Parents and education experts often express concern that high fees at private and international schools are pricing out even upper-middle-class families, creating sharp divides in access to opportunities.