The number of families choosing to send their children to private schools this school year is on the rise — even as the cost of tuition rises to record levels, a recent report from S&P Global Ratings (SPGI) revealed.
More than half of all private schools reported a year-over-year increase in autumn enrollment, with 8% of those schools seeing an increase of 3% or more, according to a Bloomberg analysis of the report. This increase comes as the average cost of attending boarding school increased from 5.3% to $73,080 and the cost of tuition for private day schools went up 7.4% to $49,284.
In addition to tuition increasing to record highs, the percentage increase in day school tuition between 2023 and 2024 was the largest jump in at least a decade. The S&P analysts attributed the dramatic increase to schools finally adjusting the cost of attendance to match post-pandemic levels of inflation.
“They were trying not to lose any of their market share by keeping tuition down,” Alexander Enriquez, an associate director at S&P, told Bloomberg. “There’s a sense that there’s an ability to control the pricing from the school’s end.”
The average cost of private school attendance, from kindergarten through high school, is $312,026, according to the Education Data Initiative. That average tends to increase when looking at private schools located in the northeast — with Connecticut schools having the highest cost of private education in the country. Other high-cost hotspots include California, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
To determine the most expensive boarding schools in the U.S., Quartz reviewed the combined cost of tuition and fees, before financial aid, at more than 50 highly-ranked boarding schools. While schools in the northeast tended to be more expensive, in aggregate, it was California high schools that dominated the list of the nation’s most expensive boarding schools.
Continue reading to learn about the most expensive boarding schools in America.
Concord Academy is a coeducational school located in Concord, Massachusetts. Founded in 1919, the combined cost of tuition, boarding, and fees before financial aid is $78,610.
St. George’s School is an Episcopal, coeducational school located in Middletown, Rhode Island. Founded in 1896, the combined cost of tuition, boarding, and fees before financial aid is $78,900.
Brooks School is a coeducational school located in North Andover, Massachusetts. Founded in 1926, the combined cost of tuition, boarding, and fees before financial aid is $78,923.
The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational school located in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Founded in 1810, it is one of the oldest prep schools in the United States. The combined cost of tuition, boarding, and fees before financial aid is $79,500.
Cate School is a small, coeducational school located in Carpinteria, California. Founded in 1910, the combined cost of tuition, boarding, and fees before financial aid is $79,980.
Webb School of California (for boys) and the Vivian Webb School (for girls) are connected boarding schools — often simply referred to as the Webb Schools or the Webb. The boys’ school was founded in 1922, while the girls’ school was founded in 1981. Located in Claremont, California, the combined cost of tuition, boarding, and fees before financial aid is $80,835 for both schools.
The San Domenico School is a coeducational school located in San Anselmo, California. Founded in 1850, the combined cost of tuition, boarding, and fees before financial aid is $81,000.
The Village School is a coeducational International Baccalaureate school, located in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1966, the combined cost of tuition, boarding, and fees before financial aid is $85,550.
The Athenian School is a coeducational school, located in Danville, California. Founded in 1965, the combined cost of tuition, boarding, and fees before financial aid is $87,760.
Woodside Priory School — also known as the Priory — is a coeducational Catholic school, located in Portola Valley, California. Founded in 1957, the combined cost of tuition, boarding, and fees before financial aid is $89,915.
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