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Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram) remain the go-to platforms for schools, preschools, and tuition centres in Singapore. But here’s the million-dollar question: what’s a good cost per lead (CPL) in 2025?
Parents are scrolling faster, ad costs keep rising, and lead form fatigue is real. Without updated benchmarks, schools risk either overspending or pulling the plug too early on campaigns that are actually working.
In this guide, I’ll break down up-to-date CPL benchmarks for preschools and tuition centres, backed by data, case studies, and real-world campaigns. This way, you’ll know whether your campaigns are performing above or below the market—and what to do about it.
👉 Related reading: Facebook lead costs for preschools explained
Before diving into numbers, let’s address a trap many education marketers fall into: chasing the lowest CPL without asking the right follow-up question—are these leads actually converting into enrolments?
In fact, as I argued in How to track cost per enrolment, not just CPL, focusing on CPL alone can create misleading campaign optimizations.
Still, CPL remains a useful benchmarking metric because:
• It tells you whether your ads are competitive in your niche.
• It helps allocate budget across campaigns, e.g. tuition vs preschool.
• It allows you to compare with industry benchmarks and peers.
In 2025, preschool campaigns in Singapore see average CPLs between $18 – $45 SGD depending on ad type, targeting, and season.
• Lead Form Ads: $18 – $30 per lead
• Landing Page + Form: $25 – $40 per lead
• WhatsApp Direct Ads: $22 – $35 per lead
👉 Supporting article: Preschool ads: high CTR vs high enrolments
The CPL spread has increased because:
• Parents are more cautious about handing over personal details.
• Meta’s lead form autofill is improving quantity but not always quality.
• Competition among preschools is heating up, especially in mature estates like Tampines and Jurong.
In fact, based on data from Meta Business Insights (Q2 2025), Singapore’s education sector CPLs are among the highest in Asia, with only Hong Kong surpassing us.
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Connect with us! →For tuition centres, CPLs in 2025 typically range from $12 – $30 SGD, depending on subject, format, and season.
• Primary English / Math tuition: $12 – $20 CPL
• Secondary & JC tuition (O/A Levels): $18 – $25 CPL
• Specialized programmes (IP, IB, SAT, enrichment): $20 – $30 CPL
👉 Related: Google Ads benchmarks for tuition centres in Singapore
One tuition brand we audited scaled from $8k to $20k monthly ad spend by layering remarketing on top of their cold Meta campaigns. Their CPL stabilized at $16.70, but the cost per enrolment dropped by 22% after remarketing was introduced.
Full breakdown: Case study: tuition centre scaling with remarketing
• Objective: Drive RSVPs for open house in Bedok
• Budget: $3,000 over 4 weeks
• CPL: $23.40 (Lead Form)
• Enrolments: 16 families confirmed
• Key takeaway: WhatsApp follow-up improved conversion rates
• Objective: Get sign-ups for Secondary Math holiday bootcamp
• Budget: $1,500 over 2 weeks
• CPL: $14.90 (Landing Page)
• Enrolments: 21 students joined
• Key takeaway: CPL was higher than Google Ads, but conversion rate doubled because parents trusted the landing page with testimonials.
Many education marketers repeat the same mistakes when comparing CPL benchmarks:
You can’t benchmark preschool CPLs against B2B SaaS ads. Different audiences, intent, and buying cycles.
January enrolment drives vs September campaigns yield different CPLs. Always benchmark month vs month not just yearly averages.
A $12 lead that never converts is more expensive than a $30 lead that enrols.
👉 Deeper dive: Top 10 education marketing mistakes in Singapore
Singapore SMEs face unique challenges when running Meta Ads:
• High CPC industries: Education competes with finance and property sectors for ad placements.
• Cultural buying behavior: Parents prefer word-of-mouth and WhatsApp reassurance before enrolling.
• Budget sensitivity: SMEs often pause campaigns too early when CPL looks “too high,” without analyzing conversion-to-enrolment data.
This explains why many local preschools either undervalue CPL or get stuck in the “boost post” trap.
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Global benchmarks highlight the same trend. According to HubSpot, average Facebook CPL across industries rose by 15% year-on-year in 2024–2025.
Meanwhile, Social Media Examiner noted that education campaigns see lower CTRs but higher lead intent, meaning CPLs are higher, but quality often beats retail or e-commerce.
These global insights mirror what we’re seeing in Singapore.
• Use Lookalike Audiences from Parent Data – (see: Building lookalike audiences from parent data)
• Test WhatsApp Conversion Ads – parents prefer instant messaging.
• Layer Google + Meta – Tuition centres find CPLs cheaper on Google, but Meta drives demand creation.👉 Related: Best Google Ads keywords for tuition centres
• Follow-up Fast – 78% of tuition leads go cold if not contacted within 24 hours.
What schools should know about CPL benchmarks, channels, and optimisation.
$18 – $30 is competitive. Anything under $20 is excellent, provided leads are quality.
Expect $12 – $25 CPL depending on subject and audience.
Yes, but Meta generates demand, while Google captures it. Use both. See our article: How to structure Google Ads campaigns for preschools.
No. Always track cost per enrolment. See: Conversion tracking for school enrolments.
CPL benchmarks in 2025 are higher than in 2023–2024, but that’s not necessarily bad news. Parents are more cautious, but those who submit leads are more serious.
• For preschools: $18 – $30 CPL is strong.
• For tuition centres: $12 – $25 CPL is realistic.
Focus less on chasing the lowest CPL and more on quality follow-up, remarketing, and measuring cost per enrolment.
👉 Also read: Why SEO is underutilized in the education sector
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