27 September 2026

Cost per Student and the Break-even School Fee

Cost per student is the year’s running costs divided by enrollment. The break-even fee is that cost divided by the share of fees you actually collect, because uncollected fees still leave the bills to pay. If the average fee is below the break-even fee, the school is running a deficit this year, whatever last year looked like.

List every monthly cost

• Payroll, usually the largest line.
• Rent or loan instalments, electricity, water and internet.
• Teaching materials, stationery, maintenance and cleaning.
• Parent communication, software subscriptions and transport.

Collection changes the answer

If a school collects 90 of every 100 rupees billed, the break-even fee is the cost per student divided by 0.9: about 11 rupees more for every 100 rupees of cost. Improving collection is often faster and kinder than raising fees; see the Fee Leakage and Recovery Calculator for where fees slip away.

Keep a surplus on purpose

Buildings need repairs, buses need replacing and emergencies happen. Decide a surplus margin and add it to the break-even fee to find the fee that keeps the school healthy. The free Operations Cost Calculator prints the category budget, cost per student, break-even fee and this year’s surplus or deficit. Where fee revisions need regulator approval, such as Form 6 in Haryana, see our Form 6 guide.