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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.