The Five Most Expensive Private Schools in the U.S.

Most people won’t admit it, but there’s something that private schools offer that many of its public counterparts couldn’t even begin to. That doesn’t necessarily mean that a public school education is not sufficient. It just means that if you have private school education, you’ll probably experience things that other people won’t. There’s a reason why private schools are expensive. The programs that most of these schools offer are ridiculously expensive as well. Don’t be surprised if you have a college-level professor teaching a freshman class in a private high school. Again, they’re just at that level. Here are the five most expensive private schools you could ever study at in the US.

5. Riverdale Country School - $46,600

Sustainability is the top most priority in this school, but that’s not all that Riverdale has to offer. Located in New York’s Bronx borough, the Riverdale Country School is a college prep school that also has a strong “maker” program. They encourage students to use the platforms of STEM to create. The school also offers independent study programs and global studies programs that bring students to international location for academic and cultural purposes. One of the best programs offered at Riverdale is an outdoor program that teaches students how to hike, camp, and even rock climb. For the price of tuition, rock climbing doesn’t sound like a bad day at school.

4. The Hotchkiss School - $51,155

Lakeville, Connecticut’s Hotchkiss School has a very low enrollment rate of only 600 students per academic year. It’s quite exclusive, which attracts many families to enroll. The boarding school itself is stunning. The location is breathtakingly close to the water. For such a small enrollment rate, you can pretty much assume that classes are small as well. The Hotchkiss School focuses on a classical education. The school offers 7 different foreign language courses in addition to 224 other courses. They also offer a study abroad program and summer courses that are the envy of many schools. If you’re enrolled at Hotchkiss, you’re more likely to end up in an Ivy League school than if you were to attend school anywhere else.

3. Avenues: The World School - $54,450

New York has another school on this list, and this one has been reported to be one of the best educations that money could buy. It’s also the youngest school on the list considering that Avenues only opened in 2012. The idea behind Avenues is to have various campuses throughout the world, where students could seamlessly travel to if desired or needed. For example, if a student’s parents were traveling to a different country, the student could easily transfer schools without all the hassle that transferring would entail. Avenues: The World School currently has campuses in New York and São Paulo.

2. The Salisbury School - $61,000

Salisbury is an all-boys school where you can have weekly sit-down meals with your advisers. One thing that Salisbury is known for is rigor. The classes here are some of the most competitive in the nation. That being said, the curriculum here is highly traditional. What’s not traditional is the class size. Average class sizes at Salisbury only consist of 11 students or less. There’s a heavy religious aspect to the school. Students are expected to satisfy a religion requirement, and part of student life is gathering at the chapel for service twice a week. The school also emphasizes a culture heavy in conversation. The students often participate in family-style meals and school meetings.

1. The Lawrenceville School - $65,920

Lawrenceville has always been one of the best boarding schools in the country. The dining services are sustainable; the study abroad program is enriching and competitive. If you go to Lawrenceville, you’ll never be in a classroom that has any more than a handful of students. All classes are seminar-style and quite intimate. We agree that you’ll probably learn more that way, but the tuition represented here is more than just for learning. Boarding schools are extra expensive due to the fact that students actually have to live there. Lawrenceville, New Jersey may not have much to offer location-wise, but if you’re headed to this private school, you should have plenty on your plate to keep you occupied.