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Australia, Melbourne
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Located at 6 Ellington St, Caulfield South VIC 3162, Australia.
Prep to Year 9; Primary and Middle School divisions.
Independent school.
EAL program and English education provided by both Japanese teachers and native-English teachers; language of instruction is Japanese; individualized support is provided to meet students' needs.
Japan
Application fees and school bond
- Entrance (application) fee: AU$800.
- School bond: AU$500 per student, payable on enrolment and refunded when the student leaves the school.
Tuition fees — Ordinary (non‑international) students — per term and annual totals
(All amounts in Australian dollars)
- Prep (Primary — Prep)
- Per term: Tuition A (general expenses) AU$1,956; Tuition B (materials) AU$45.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$7,824; Tuition B AU$180; Total annual AU$8,004.
- Primary Year 1 (小1)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$1,956; Tuition B AU$111.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$7,824; Tuition B AU$444; Total annual AU$8,268.
- Primary Year 2 (小2)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$1,956; Tuition B AU$114.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$7,824; Tuition B AU$456; Total annual AU$8,280.
- Primary Year 3 (小3)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$1,956; Tuition B AU$129.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$7,824; Tuition B AU$516; Total annual AU$8,340.
- Primary Year 4 (小4)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$1,956; Tuition B AU$132.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$7,824; Tuition B AU$528; Total annual AU$8,352.
- Primary Year 5 (小5)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$1,956; Tuition B AU$147.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$7,824; Tuition B AU$588; Total annual AU$8,412.
- Primary Year 6 (小6)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$1,956; Tuition B AU$141.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$7,824; Tuition B AU$564; Total annual AU$8,388.
- Middle School Year 1 (中1)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$2,232; Tuition B AU$528 (charged as specified below).
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$8,928; Tuition B AU$528; Total annual AU$9,456.
- Middle School Year 2 (中2)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$2,232; Tuition B AU$576.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$8,928; Tuition B AU$576; Total annual AU$9,504.
- Middle School Year 3 (中3)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$2,232; Tuition B AU$492.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$8,928; Tuition B AU$492; Total annual AU$9,420.
Tuition fees — International student classification (留学生扱い) — per term and annual totals
(The international classification applies to students holding visa subclasses that are not eligible for Australian government subsidies; amounts in Australian dollars.)
- Prep (international)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$5,637; Tuition B AU$45.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$22,548; Tuition B AU$180; Total annual AU$22,728.
- Primary Year 1 (international)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$5,637; Tuition B AU$111.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$22,548; Tuition B AU$444; Total annual AU$22,992.
- Primary Year 2 (international)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$5,637; Tuition B AU$114.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$22,548; Tuition B AU$456; Total annual AU$23,004.
- Primary Year 3 (international)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$5,637; Tuition B AU$129.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$22,548; Tuition B AU$516; Total annual AU$23,064.
- Primary Year 4 (international)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$5,637; Tuition B AU$132.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$22,548; Tuition B AU$528; Total annual AU$23,076.
- Primary Year 5 (international)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$5,637; Tuition B AU$147.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$22,548; Tuition B AU$588; Total annual AU$23,136.
- Primary Year 6 (international)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$5,637; Tuition B AU$141.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$22,548; Tuition B AU$564; Total annual AU$23,112.
- Middle School Year 1 (international)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$5,913; Tuition B AU$528.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$23,652; Tuition B AU$528; Total annual AU$24,180.
- Middle School Year 2 (international)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$5,913; Tuition B AU$576.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$23,652; Tuition B AU$576; Total annual AU$24,228.
- Middle School Year 3 (international)
- Per term: Tuition A AU$5,913; Tuition B AU$492.
- Annual totals: Tuition A AU$23,652; Tuition B AU$492; Total annual AU$24,144.
Billing schedule and payment terms
- Tuition is billed and payable by term.
- For primary (小学部), Tuition B (textbook/materials) is charged each term; for students who join mid‑term the applicable term's Tuition B is charged.
- For middle school (中学部), Tuition B (materials) is charged as a single payment for the full year in Term 1; students who join mid‑year are required to pay the full year's Tuition B at enrolment.
- A sibling discount applies: where three or more siblings are enrolled concurrently, Tuition A for the third and subsequent siblings is charged at 50%.
Boarding
- The school operates as a full‑time day overseas Japanese school (no boarding programme); boarding fees are not applicable.
Other costs and typical additional fees
- School supplies and recommended items are listed in a supply list; some textbooks and class notebooks are supplied by the school for primary students and some items are recommended to be brought from Japan. Field trips, excursions and other activity costs are charged separately and will be advised when applicable.
- Short trial/observation (paid trial days): Primary AU$46 per paid day; Middle School AU$53 per paid day (one day is free).
- Uniforms: there is no compulsory school uniform, indoor shoes, or specified gym uniform; students attend in suitable, comfortable clothing as guided by the school's dress code.
Refund information
- The AU$500 school bond is refundable when a student leaves the school.
- A general tuition refund policy (for mid‑term withdrawal or other circumstances) is not specified on the school's public fees pages searched; no explicit term‑by‑term tuition refund rules are published in the fee summaries referenced here.
Fee payment options and contact for payment queries
- Accepted payment methods (credit card, bank transfer, BPAY/EFT, etc.) are not specified on the public fees and admissions pages examined. For confirmation of accepted payment methods and billing procedures, contact the school office by telephone: within Australia 03 9528 1978; from Japan +61 3 9528 1978.
Brief note on completeness
- The figures above reflect the school's published fee schedules for the Reiwa 8 (2026) school year for ordinary and international classifications (entrance fee, AU$500 school bond, per‑term Tuition A and Tuition B and annual totals). The school's published pages list the items and billing schedule above; the school's public pages do not publish a detailed list of accepted payment methods or an explicit tuition refund formula for mid‑term withdrawals.
Located in Caulfield South, The Japanese School of Melbourne is an independent school delivering Prep to Year 9 education under the Japanese national curriculum. Classes for all grades are taught by teachers dispatched from Japan's Ministry of Education (MEXT) and use Japanese textbooks aligned with 学習指導要領. English education is by Japanese and native-English teachers, with after‑school clubs New Comer Club for recent arrivals and English Club for proficient students. Prep education introduces literacy (hiragana, katakana, and the alphabet) and numeracy through play. The campus features a library of over 10,000 books in Japanese and English, computers for every student, televisions, and ICT tools such as LoiroNote and Canva. A science laboratory, a music room with koto and taiko, and a grass field for soccer, basketball and tennis support learning and activity. EAL runs three days weekly in English; cross‑cultural exchanges enrich language learning. Melko Day is an annual event. The school aims to cultivate solid academic capabilities within a Japanese framework while leveraging the local environment for practical language skills and global awareness.
