Budget Breakdown for School Opening in Academic Year 2026: Where Does Your Family’s Spending Fall?

“The Big Back-to-School Season: Parents’ Hearts in Turmoil”

A lighthearted phrase, yet it reflects the real distress many parents and guardians face today.

This morning (14 May), many schools nationwide officially opened the academic year 2026. For children, it marks the start of new friendships and lessons. However, for many parents, it brings anxiety over unavoidable mounting expenses.

In a year when the economy feels sluggish and earning a living is tougher, education inflation is soaring. This back-to-school period marks the heaviest financial burden on parents in 17 years.

Mapping out the budget: Which spending zone does your family fall into?

Examining the numbers reveals that tuition fees alone cause stress, varying by curriculum intensity and school type.

• Basic zone: Government schools (regular classrooms), averaging 10,975 to 15,771 baht per term.
• Expanded zone: Private schools (regular program) or government schools (special classes/English Program) ranging from 31,040 to 41,723 baht per term.
• Premium zone: Private bilingual and international schools, requiring funds from 50,000 baht up to several hundred thousand baht per year.

More shockingly, data from the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce shows average back-to-school household expenses have surged to 29,930 baht—a 6% increase from last year. This rise stems not from parents’ desire to spend more but from market forces (Law of Demand & Supply): when everyone buys simultaneously, sellers raise prices. The result: we pay more for the same items for our children.

“Hidden expenses” mushrooming like mushrooms after rain.

Although the Ministry of Education prohibits collecting 22 expense items, in reality, "hidden costs" become unavoidable traps for parents. These miscellaneous expenses may surpass tuition fees when combined.

• Basic supplies: textbooks (800-3,000 baht), uniforms/PE clothes (500-2,000 baht), shoes/socks (300-1,000 baht). Over 85% of households report these are essential items that must mostly be replaced each year.
• Mandatory fees: air conditioning fees, foreign teacher wages, computer lessons claimed to exceed state standards, and new sports day uniforms that must be replaced annually.
• Compulsory struggle: extra tutoring in highly competitive systems (2,000-15,000 baht). Parents fear their children will "fall behind" if they don’t pay, so they reluctantly invest to keep up with peers.

“Better to go into debt than let my child miss out,” a heartfelt and sympathetic sentiment.

KKP data reveals parents now start budgeting earlier, from February to March, with average spending of 25,000 baht per child. Moreover, scanning payments via apps in 2025 alone reached 46 million baht!

“No matter how much we save on food or daily expenses, when it comes to our children’s future, parents simply cannot back down.”

This reflection carries pain because while the government provides subsidies per student (e.g., equipment costs of 145-260 baht per term or uniforms 325-550 baht per year), compared to current market prices amid inflation, this barely alleviates the burden.

Consequently, consumer councils call for truly free education and advocate the National Education Act, since many parents resort to "informal debt" just to pay tuition on time during enrollment, or risk their children being excluded from school records.

Ultimately, we must accept that in a challenging economy, getting children to succeed is like running a marathon, with one major obstacle: the "remaining balance in the bank account."

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