Every year the private tuition statistics come out and the question follows: "do we spend more than average?". But choose the wrong comparison and you get the opposite answer, because two different numbers are published.

What separates 458,000 from 604,000 won

458,000 won is an average with all students as the denominator — including students who use no private tuition at all.

604,000 won is an average with only students who used private tuition as the denominator. With a participation rate of 75.7 per cent, roughly one student in four uses none, and their zeros pull the overall average down.

So a household already using private tuition should be comparing itself against 604,000 won. Compared with 458,000 it looks like it is spending more than it is. Conversely, for looking at policy or the burden on society as a whole, 458,000 is the right figure.

The gap widens as school level rises

The difference between the two indicators varies by school level.

• Primary — 433,000 across all / 512,000 among participants (a gap of about 80,000)
• Middle — 461,000 across all / 632,000 among participants (a gap of about 170,000)
• High — 499,000 across all / 793,000 among participants (a gap of about 290,000)

The gap is largest at high school. In other words, a relatively higher proportion of high school students use no private tuition, and those who do spend far more. Spending broad and shallow at primary and narrow and deep at high school shows up directly in the numbers.

The total fell while spending per participant rose

What stands out in the 2025 survey is that the directions diverge. The total was 27.5 trillion won, down 1.7 trillion, and participation fell 4.3 percentage points to 75.7 per cent. The per-student figure across all students also fell 3.5 per cent.

But the figure per participating student rose 2.0 per cent, and high school rose 2.6 per cent.

With the school-age population shrinking and the overall total falling with it, it is closer to the truth to read this as the intensity of spending among households that do use private tuition actually increasing. That is why a headline saying "private tuition spending fell" does not match what families feel.

Recalculate on your own household instead

There is a more practical approach than comparing with an average: separating spending by its purpose.

• Fixed spending — regular fees that go out every month
• Variable spending — holiday courses, materials, mock exams, short intensive courses
• Replaceable spending — items that could be covered by school after-school programmes or public support

Look only at the total without examining the third category and there is nothing visible to cut. The same applies to schemes such as national scholarships, which pay nothing unless you apply. Related material is set out in For Parents.

In summary

When reading private tuition statistics, first establish whether the figure is "the average across all students" or "the average among participants". If your household already uses private tuition, the benchmark is 604,000 won (793,000 for high school students). And the crux of the present figures is that a falling total and rising individual spending are happening at the same time.