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The short answer
Most Lagos schools bill three times a year, before each term starts, so the simplest plan is to set aside dollars each month and convert and pay the school's account about two to three weeks before every resumption date on the school's calendar. Pay the school's own account against its invoice, ask for a receipt in the child's name, and keep a small naira buffer for extras that arrive mid-term.
How the Lagos school year is billed
Nigerian schools, public and private, generally run three terms. Most Lagos schools start the session around September, with a second term after the Christmas break and a third after Easter, but the dates are each school's own: check the calendar the school sends home rather than assuming. Private schools usually issue an invoice near the end of each term for the next, with tuition and a list of other charges.
The Lagos State Office of Education Quality Assurance approves private schools under the state's guidelines; Radio Nigeria reported in February 2026 that it approved 76 schools in its first batch of the year and runs approvals quarterly. If you are choosing a school from abroad, ask the school for evidence of its approval.
A termly schedule, working back from resumption
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| End of the previous term | Ask the school, or your child's carer, for the next term's invoice and resumption date |
| Four weeks before resumption | Check the invoice line by line: tuition, development levy, books, uniform, excursions, transport, feeding |
| Three weeks before | Convert the dollars you need, at the rate the app shows you |
| Two weeks before | Pay the school's account from the invoice; send proof of payment to the bursar |
| One week before | Confirm the school has applied the payment and get the receipt |
| Mid-term | Pay small extras (excursions, project materials) from a naira buffer |
Paying two weeks early avoids the last-week rush, when banks are busy and school accounts receive hundreds of transfers. It also leaves time to fix a wrong amount or an unmatched payment before your child is sent home.
Handling the naira rate
The fee is fixed in naira; your income is in dollars. Each term you are exposed to the rate on the day you convert. You cannot know where the rate will be in four months, and this guide gives no forecast. Two ways families manage that:
- Convert on a fixed date each term, so you do not chase the rate.
- Convert part of the next term's fee early, when the rate suits you, and hold it in naira until the invoice arrives.
Nigeria's headline inflation was 14.63% in September 2026, according to the NBS figures reported by Voice of Nigeria, and schools review fees between sessions. Expect the first term of a new session to cost more than the term before.
A worked example
Example only. Funmi in Chicago pays her daughter's fees at a Lagos secondary school. Next term's invoice is ₦1,450,000 tuition plus ₦180,000 in other charges, a total of ₦1,630,000. She sets aside $400 a month. Three weeks before resumption she converts what she has saved, checks that the naira amount covers ₦1,630,000 plus a ₦70,000 buffer, and tops up if it does not. She pays ₦1,630,000 to the school's account, emails the transfer reference to the bursar, and keeps ₦70,000 back for mid-term extras.
What to check first
- The account name on the invoice is the school's registered name, not a person's.
- The invoice total matches the sum of its lines.
- Your child's full name and class are in the payment narration.
- You receive an official receipt, not just a message saying "seen".
The case for paying the school directly rather than through a relative is set out in paying a school directly vs through a relative. The Nigeria-side guide to paying school fees from abroad covers transfer routes in more detail.
Building the year's calendar
At the start of each session, set three reminders in your own calendar, one for each term, four weeks before the school's published resumption date. Add a fourth for the end of the third term, when schools often announce fee changes for the next session. If you have children at two schools, align the reminders so you convert once and pay both.
Extras that come with the first term
- Books and uniforms, often listed separately from tuition.
- Development or building levies, sometimes charged once a session.
- School bus and feeding, if your child uses them.
- Examination fees in exam years, such as WAEC or NECO registration, collected by the school.
Ask for the full session's charges at the start of the year, so the first term's bigger invoice is not a surprise.
Where Pryme fits
You can hold dollars and naira in one multicurrency account and convert when you choose, with the rate shown first and the fee on its own line. A naira Savings Box can hold the next term's fee until it is due. In Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, Spaces is piloting with schools among its sectors; where your child's school is part of Spaces, Loans on Spaces, lent by a licensed Nigerian microfinance bank, may be offered for fees there, with the full terms shown before you accept.
Questions people ask
When should I send school fees to Lagos?
About two weeks before resumption, against the school's invoice. That leaves time to correct any problem before your child is due back.
Is it better to pay the whole year's fees at once?
Some schools give a discount for paying the session upfront. Weigh it against the risk of changing schools mid-year and ask about the refund policy in writing.
How do I check a Lagos private school is approved?
Ask the school for evidence of approval from the Lagos State Office of Education Quality Assurance, which approves private schools under the state's guidelines.
What if the naira rate changes before the fees are due?
You carry that risk until you convert. Converting on a fixed date, or converting part of the fee early and holding naira, makes the cost more predictable.
Sources
- Radio Nigeria Lagos: OEQA approves 76 private schools · accessed Oct 2026
- Voice of Nigeria: Headline inflation drops to 14.63 per cent (NBS CPI, September 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- IRS: Instructions for Form 709 (2025) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.