While the costs of private schools continue to rise, the jury is still out on whether the money is a worthwhile investment, writes David Potts. When you're up for $150,000 in fees and extras for a child's private-school education, it'd be nice to know it's a good investment. After all, a year 7 student starting next year will cost $215,000 by year 12 if school fees keep rising at an annual rate of 6 per cent. Could that be better spent on tutors and extensive travel to other cultures to broaden a young mind? Certainly it would be cheaper. They might put a value on everything else but economists have a problem working out the worth of private schools, even though that's probably where many of them went. Fortunately, the well-regarded - and, as it turns out aptly named - London School of Economics has had a shot at it. Based on the "ample evidence" that private-school students will earn more "and are more likely to get top jobs", it