Top 10 Most Expensive High Schools in America

Pristine surroundings, acres and acres of land and top-notch facilities, not to mention rigorous academics. A college campus? Close. The scene describes many of America’s best and most expensive high schools, those traditional elite bastions of learning and networking that parents clamor to plug their children into. And make no mistake, for families who can afford it, or who are lucky enough to receive financial aid, the high cost of sending a son or daughter to an elite prep school (so called because they prepare their graduates for life as well as for top-notch universities) is well worth it.

10. Middlesex  School, Concord, Mass 

Day student tuition: $36,870

Boarding student tuition: $46,090

Enrollment: 375

Endowment: $137 million

Fact: Alumni include Gov. Bill Richardson and The Office’s Steve Carell.

Source: Middlesex School

Middlesex School

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition for daytime-only students for the 2010-2011 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included. The schools taken into consideration come from several lists of the nation’s top private high schools.

9. Groton School, Groton, Mass.

Day student tuition: $37,020

Boarding student tuition: $48,895

Enrollment: 372

Endowment: $194.4 million

Fact: Groton’s grounds were designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

Source: Groton School

groton

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition for daytime-only students for the 2010-2011 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included. The schools taken into consideration come from several lists of the nation’s top private high schools.

8. The Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, Conn.

 Day student tuition: $37,065

Boarding student tuition: $43,500

Enrollment: 595

Endowment: $282 million

Perks: Off-campus semester programs offered in France, Italy, China, Spain, and South Africa.

Source: The Hotchkiss School

hotchkiss

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition for daytime-only students for the 2010-2011 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included. The schools taken into consideration come from several lists of the nation’s top private high schools.

7. Lawrence Academy, Groton, Mass.

Day student tuition: $37,100

Boarding student tuition: $48,200

Enrollment: 399

Endowment: $20 million

Perks: Campus is home to a Sony Language Laboratory and six science labs.

Source: Lawrence Academy

Lawrence Academy

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition for daytime-only students for the 2010-2011 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included. The schools taken into consideration come from several lists of the nation’s top private high schools.

6. Concord Academy, Concord, Mass.

Day student tuition: $37,350

Boarding student tuition: $46,200

Enrollment: 365

Endowment: $44.4 million

Fact: The school’s Dance and Performance Space, a 2,500-square-foot, professional-level dance studio, was designed by renowned architect Graham Gund.

Source: Concord Academy

concord academy

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition for daytime-only students for the 2010-2011 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included. The schools taken into consideration come from several lists of the nation’s top private high schools.

5. Dana Hall School, Wellesley, Mass.

 Day student tuition: $37,375

Boarding student tuition: $49,620

Enrollment: 489

Endowment: $22 million

Fact: The all-girls school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9.1:1.

Source: Dana Hall School

danahall

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition for daytime-only students for the 2010-2011 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included. The schools taken into consideration come from several lists of the nation’s top private high schools.

4. St. Mark’s School, Southborough, Mass.

Day student tuition: $37,450

Boarding student tuition: $46,900

Enrollment: 338

Endowment: $130 million

Fact: The school’s grounds make an appearance in the 1992 film School Ties.

Source: St. Marks School

St. Mark's School

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition for daytime-only students for the 2010-2011 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included. The schools taken into consideration come from several lists of the nation’s top private high schools.

3. The Hewitt School, New York, NY

 Day student tuition: $38,000

Boarding student tuition: n/a

Enrollment: 506 (K-12)

Endowment: $13 million

Fact: Students and faculty are divided into blue and white teams for competitions throughout the year.

Source: Hewitt School

Hewitt School

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition for daytime-only students for the 2010-2011 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included. The schools taken into consideration come from several lists of the nation’s top private high schools.

2. The Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville, NJ

Day student tuition: $38,050

Boarding student tuition: $46,475

Enrollment: 244

Endowment: $275 million

Perks: Athletic facilities include include an indoor ice hockey rink, an indoor competition pool, and nine-hole golf course.

Source: The Lawrenceville School

Lawrenceville School

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition for daytime-only students for the 2010-2011 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included. The schools taken into consideration come from several lists of the nation’s top private high schools.

1. Riverdale Country School, Bronx, NY

 Day student tuition: $38,800

Boarding student tuition: n/a

Enrollment: 493

Endowment: $56 million

Perks: Athletic facilities include include a 25-yard swimming pool, fencing room, and wrestling room.

Source: Riverdale Country School

riverdale

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition for daytime-only students for the 2010-2011 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included. The schools taken into consideration come from several lists of the nation’s top private and most expensive high schools.