Miami’s billionaire boom has pushed up housing prices — and intensified competition for the city’s elite schools.
State-of-the-art facilities, strong athletics, and impressive college matriculation lists are just some of the features that define Miami’s most expensive schools.
Michael Light, Miami-based luxury real estate broker and founder of The Light Group at Douglas Elliman, told Business Insider that a lot of families won’t commit to a property until their child is accepted into a school.
“A lot of these titans of industry are moving to South Florida, bringing their employees with them. And it’s not stopping,” Light said. “They want their kids to go to what is perceived as the best — and that is private schools.”
He said the leafy, family-friendly Coconut Grove neighborhood has become the first place clients look to buy because of its elite schools.
These include the Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, Ransom Everglades School, Gulliver Preparatory School, and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Day School.
Billionaires who have recently purchased properties in Coconut Grove include Citadel CEO Ken Griffin and Google cofounder Larry Page.
Here’s a look inside three of Miami’s most sought-after schools.
Founded in 1926, Gulliver Preparatory School is a private PK-12 school.
Admissions to the Gulliver Prep can be a multi-step process. That includes recommendations from English and mathematics teachers, an admissions test for grades PK to 5, and an interview for grades 6 to 12.
For 2026-27, Gulliver Prep tuition fees cost $36,400 for PK to SK, $40,200 for grades 1 to 4, and $56,100 for grades 5 to 12.
But $15.2 million in financial aid was awarded in 2025-26.
Sports are a big deal at Gulliver Prep.
With over 40 athletic teams known as the Gulliver Prep Raiders, Gulliver Prep says that 60% of its students participate in sports.
“If you want your child to go private and you want them to play sports, Gulliver is the school,” luxury real-estate broker Light told Business Insider.
Famous sporting alumni include Sean Taylor, Patrick Robinson, and George Lombard Jr.
The campus has state-of-the-art sporting and academic facilities.
Gulliver Prep’s upper school campus has facilities, including an aquatic center and newly renovated athletic fields for sports like soccer and lacrosse.
Academically, Gulliver Prep is strong, too.
Gulliver Prep offers the International Baccalaureate program, a balanced yet rigorous curriculum recognized by universities worldwide.
The class of 2026, consisting of 247 students, had 125 acceptances to colleges that Gulliver Prep categorized as most competitive, highly selective, or Ivy Plus.
The school also offers a digital mass media academic program, complete with a broadcast control room, student shows, and publications.
Founded in 1903, Ransom Everglades is a private college prep school.
Ransom Everglades says on its website that it seeks “students who demonstrate above-average ability and interest in a broad and challenging educational program.”
Spear’s named Ransom Everglades as one of the top private schools in North America in its 2026 index.
Tuition fees are $57,300 for 2026-27, with 17% of the student body receiving financial aid.
College prep is not taken lightly at Ransom Everglades.
With multiple college counselors on staff, college prep is serious business.
College admissions prep begins in the 9th grade with a series of seminars to familiarize students with the process. By the 12th grade, counselors assist students with their applications.
“The children are going basically to an Ivy League school that is really a high school — that’s what Ransom is,” Light said.
Ransom Everglades has a state-of-the-art STEM center.
The Constance & Miguel Fernandez STEM center is a 45,000-square-foot facility equipped with classrooms, an assembly hall, and labs for students.
Ransom Everglades is now building a $45 million humanities center, which will include a rooftop terrace and flexible classrooms.
The school offers many extracurricular activities, from athletics to academic clubs.
Though it has a strong academic track record, Ransom Everglades also prides itself on its athletics.
The school says that over half of its students play on one team or more every year, with 15% of the athletes going on to play at the college level.
For families living in the north of the city, Miami Country Day School is popular.
Miami Country Day School is a private PK3-12 school located farther north of the city.
Tuition fees for 2026-27 start at $43,600 for the early childhood program and rise to $56,400 for grades 9 to 12. The school offers financial aid.
The school prides itself on its arts programs.
Miami Country Day School offers programs in dance, drama, music, and the visual arts.
For students interested in the dance industry, the school offers the Miami Dance Experience, a three-day professional performance intensive, while for drama, students are coached on auditioning.
But its athletics programs are also important.
Miami Country Day School has 36 Spartan teams in sports such as water polo, cross country, and baseball.
The teams have won two national championships, six state championships, and 19 regional championships.
Some students in the class of 2026 were accepted at Ivy League and international colleges.
Miami Country Day School offers a personalized college application service, with counselors assigned to each student.
Students in the class of 2026 are attending a range of colleges, from Ivy League schools such as Harvard and other elite schools like Stanford to colleges outside the US — including those in the UK and Europe.
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