Rs 7.35 lakh for grade 1? Viral Bengaluru school fee structure sparks big debate on education costs

What would you do if your child’s school asked you to pay over Rs 7 lakh a year for Grade 1? That’s the question parents across India are now asking after a Bengaluru-based international school’s fee structure went viral on social media.

The storm began when Hardik Pandya (not the cricketer) shared a snapshot of the school’s 2025–26 fee structure on X. The image revealed that parents enrolling their children in the Primary Years Programme (Grades 1–5) must pay Rs 3,67,500 per term, twice a year, totalling a staggering Rs 7,35,000 annually.

On top of that, there’s a non-refundable admission fee of Rs 1 lakh and an application fee of Rs 1,000. The fees only climb higher with classes: students in Grades 11 and 12 face annual costs of around Rs 11 lakh, putting the institution among the priciest private schools in India.

Pandya’s caption summed up the shock: “Annual fee structure of primary school years at one of the better institutions in Bangalore. Rs 7,35,000 per annum from Grade 1. Don’t miss the Rs 1,00,000 non-refundable admission fees.”

Reactions on X

The post triggered an avalanche of comments. Some argued the costs were simply out of reach, even for families with high incomes. One user said, “Unaffordable even for an IT couple earning Rs 50 lakh pretax per annum with two school-going children.”

Another voiced frustration at the broader issue: “Education is a basic human right. Pricing it like this only widens inequality.”

Yet, not everyone criticised the figures. Some defended the fees as part of a free-market system. “For a premier institution, Rs 60,000 a month seems reasonable,” one user wrote, only to be met with a swift retort from another: “Anyone who thinks this is reasonable needs to touch grass.”

Comparisons with Abroad

The debate also opened up comparisons with global schooling costs. Some pointed out that while Bengaluru’s figures look astronomical, they are still far lower than international counterparts. For example, tuition at the American International School in Chennai reportedly touches Rs 27 lakh per year.

The viral post has reignited a familiar debate: should quality education come with such a heavy price tag, or is it fair for private institutions to charge what the market allows? For many parents, the answer is less about economics and more about a growing fear, that world-class schooling in India may be drifting out of reach.