Average Private School Tuition (77 Data Statistics For 2024)

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There is a huge percentage of students who prefer to go to private schools as they provide more personalized and concrete learning to students than any other school.

As per the statistics, it is noted that private school tuition fees have risen over the past 10 years.

According to Hanson 2021, there was a 28% increase in tuition fees between 2007-08 to 2020-21.

Wondering about what would be the average Private school Tuition in the US?

Well, this article focuses on the average private tuition in the US. The following are some insights on the private school fees for elementary and secondary schools. Also, it will give you an idea of state-wise statistics on average private school tuition fees. 

Let’s have a look at the average cost of private schools in the US that can help you to decide where to admit your children and what financial help is available to them

Average Private School Tuition: General Stats

Average Private School Tuition - General Stats
  1. According to the Private school review 2022-2023, the national average private tuition fee is $12,326 each year.
  2. The elementary private school tuition costs $11,369 per year.
  3. It costs an average of $15,840 per year for private high school tuition.
  4. Private school review stated that the national average fee for K 12 education is $12,350 (2021-2022).
  5. According to the Private school review, the most unaffordable town for private school tuition fees is Newton. It costs an average tuition of $43,903 each year.
  6. The state with the most average private school tuition fees in Connecticut. It costs around $28,277 on average.
  7. Similarly, the lowest private school tuition cost is $4,120 in South Dakota state.
  8. The cost of attending private schools is lower than public schools in more than three-quarters of the states.
  9. Statistics show that the average private school has fees less than the average per-student public school expenditure in 42 states.
  10. In 2021, the average annual private school tuition was approximately $11,645 (private school review).
  11. Other than the average tuition fees in private schools, the extra cost per student on average is $3,700. This includes extra costs such as books, supplies, sports, and uniforms. 
  12. This extra fee brings an overall $16,050 per year.
  13. Five-day boarding private schools cost double the regular private school tuition. It costs around $33,140 for the five-day private school.
  14. Similarly, seven-day boarding schools have an average tuition fee of $ 37,590 per year.
  15. The Catholic school tuition fees are much less than any other private school. It costs only $4,840 for elementary schools and $11,240 for secondary and high schools.
  16. The most costly town for private school tuition is Newton, MA, with an average tuition of over $44,037.
  17. Lima, OH, is the least expensive town in the US for private school tuition, with an average tuition of $2,818.

Average Annual Cost for Private schools

Private schools are not affiliated with any regional, state, or national government. They also do not receive public funding or any funding from the government. 

  1. For the year 2022-2023, the average cost for private schools in the US is $12,326 each year.
  2. The private elementary school costs around $7,630 on average per year.

Following is the Total Annual Cost breakdown for Private schools.

Expense Annual Cost (approx)
Tuition Fees$12,350
Books and Supplies$500
Technology$1,500
Uniforms$400
Field Trips$500
Athletics$300
Misc. Fees$500
Total$16,050
  1. The average cost for secondary private schools is around $16,040.
  2. The median annual tuition fee in all private schools is $16,600.
  3. Many Catholic private schools and parish schools have the lowest tuition fees as compared to other religious private schools in the US. 
  4. The statistics show that the average annual tuition fee for private students in catholic schools is $4,840.
  5. $11,240 is the average annual tuition for high school and secondary Catholic private schools.

Here is a detailed average annual tuition for private schools in the US.

(Source: EducationData.Org)

School TypeElementarySecondaryK-12All Private Schools
Nonsectarian$20.9K$28.9K$25.7K$25.1K
Catholic$4.8K$11.2K$10.2K$6.08K
Other Religious$9.2K$18.9K$9.4K$10.2K
Average$8.7K$14.5K$15.2K$12.4K

Average Tuition fees for Private Day School

Private Day school is the most preferred option by students in the US. Same as to traditional public schools, students attend school in the daytime and leave by evening.

Average Tuition Fees For Private Day School
  1. The majority of private students attend day schools (91.4%).
  2. According to the education data, the median tuition fee at private day schools is $16,000.
  3. The primary day school tuition fee costs around $14,370.
  4. The average estimated cost for middle school is $15,180.
  5. The median average cost for high school students is $19,020.
  6. The average annual cost of a private day school is $27,000 among the school switch National Association of Independent Schools membership.
  7. 94.1% of private school students attend day schools.
  8. $23,330 is the average cost of tuition for first graders attending private day schools.
  9. For high school seniors and grade 12 students who are attending private day schools, the average median tuition fee goes around $30,380.

Following is the breakdown of tuition fees for private day schools.

(Source: Education Data)

Private Day school GradeAverage Tuition Cost
First graders $14,370
Middle school$15,180
High school$19,020
NAIS average annual cost $27,000
NAIS First Graders$23,330
NAIS high school and 12 grade $30,380

(NAIS– National Association of Independent Schools membership)

Cost of Private Boarding School

Among the total Private schools in the US, there are only a few boring private schools. Most of the private boarding schools are on the east coast. Modern boarding schools provide room facilities as well as a board for day school classes. 

  1. The boarding schools are likely to charge higher fees for higher-level classes.
  2. The average annual tuition fee at 5-day boarding schools is around $33,140.
  3. The average tuition fee for 7-day private boarding schools is $37,590.
  4. 5.9% of private school students are student boarders.
  5. Boarders tend to be secondary and older students.
  6. Among overall private schools in the US, only 0.6% of the students are boarders.
  7. The percentage of younger and elementary-level students is higher than high school
  8. students who are likely to attend private boarding schools. 

Private School Tuition by School Type

  1. According to statistics by NCES, two-thirds of all the private schools in the US are religious schools.
  2. Around 20% of private schools are Catholic schools. More than 12% of the schools are conservative Christian schools. 26% of the schools are unaffiliated, and 9% of the private schools are 9%.
  3. Statistics from 2015 state that around 75% of private school students were in religious schools.
  4. Based on the statistics of 2011-2012, the average expense of private Catholic primary schools was $5,330 every year.
  5. The average cost of private Catholic high schools was $9,790 per year.
  6. The average cost for private religious elementary schools that are other than Catholic schools was $7,960 each year.
  7.  Similarly, for high schools, the average tuition fee was $16,520 (other than in catholic schools).
  8. For nonsectarian elementary schools, the tuition fee was $18,120.
  9. And for the nonsectarian high school, the average fee was $25,180 per year.

Private Postsecondary School Tuition Fees

Most private high schools or universities are nonprofit institutions.

  1. The average degree in the US costs $69,112.
  2. A degree from an average private school costs around $215,796
  3. Private schools with a 2-year program have an average fee of $34,556 per year.
  4. In the average traditional private high school, students spend around $53,949 per year.
  5. The expenses of attendance at the private 4-year degree program at the high school increased by 48.9% between 2010 and 2020.

Private School Enrollments

  1. Around 10% of the total schools in the US are private schools.
  2. Among the total students in the US, 25% of the students go to private schools.
  3. Statistics show that there are less than 300 students in 87% of private schools.
  4. Among the families that have an annual income of a minimum of $75,000 annually, 11% of them prefer private schools for their children. State-wise Average Private School Tuition expenses.
  5. Over the 40 states, the average highest tuition school fee for private schools is $28,277  in Connecticut state.
  6. Similarly, the state with the lowest tuition fees for private schools is South Dakota, with average expenses of $4,120.
  7. Moreover, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia are the most expensive states after Connecticut.

Following are the detailed statistics of average private school tuition fees (2022-2023)

10 states with the highest average private school tuition fees (2024)

(Source: Private School review)

StateAverage TuitionAverage High school tuitionAverage Elementry school tuition
Connecticut$28,277$40,715$22,564
District of Columbia$25,718$31,789$27,308
Massachusetts$24,744$36,849$21,790
Vermont$23,232$32,155$18,075
Maine$22,584$30,025$14,845
New Hampshire$20,557$29,106$11,915
New York$20,554$26,273$21,001
Rhode Island$16,551$28,550$13,877
California$16,072$20,942$15,290
New Jersey$15,240$19,931$15,018
  1. The District of Columbia comes in second place in the top 10 states with the highest average tuition fees.
  2. New York has an average tuition fee of $20,554.
  3. California state has an average tuition fee of $16,072.

10 States with the lowest median private school tuition fees (2024):

(Source: Private School Review)

StateAverage TuitionAverage High school tuitionAverage Elementry school tuition
South Dakota$4,120$4,011
Nebraska$4,190$7,880$3,659
Wisconsin$4,533$8,214$3,991
North Dakota$5,092$4,010
lowa$5,437$9,208$4,839
Mississippi$6,028$6,611$5,920
Arkansas$6,187$7,163$6,173
West Virginia$6,164$6,617$6,358
Oklahoma$6,591$7,620$6,591
Minnesota$7,589$13,472$7,336
  1. South Dakota is the state with minimum tuition fees i.e. $4,120.
  2. Nebraska and Wisconsin come next, after South Dakota.
  3.  West Virginia has an average tuition fee of $6,164.

Let’s have a look at the top 10 towns in the US that has the highest average private school tuition (2023)

TownAverage TuitionHigh SchoolsElementry
Newton, MA$44,037$36,849$21,790
New York, NY$40,137$26,273$21,001
Ojai, CA$37,849$20,942$15,290
Culver City, CA$35,852$20,942$15,290
San Rafael, CA$35,413$20,942$15,290
New Haven, CT$34,618$40,715$22,564
Boston, MA$32,931$36,849$21,790
Palo Alto, CA$31,702$20,942$15,290
Potomac, MD$31,239$17,925$13,404
Alexandria, VA$31,158$16,550$13,005

Financial Aids for Private School Tuition

  1. The average aid per scholar gets as financial aid is $11,500.
  2. There 28% of the students in the private school receive some form of financial aid.
  3.  The average scholarship per scholar is around $24,790.
  4. According to the Hanson 2021 reports, $10,00 is the average allotment for the 4.6% of the private students who get the fee reimbursement due to the employment status of the parent.
  5. The financial aid offered by private schools is based on need and merit. Also, each school varies on who gets financial help, and how each family earns. (NAIS,2016) 
  6. K-12 scholarships come under voucher schemes. Those families who are provided with vouchers are based on their financial circumstances. 
  7. They are often to pay at least 25% or $500.
  8. More than half of the states provide school choice programs that help families to pay for private k-12 education.
  9. To get eligible for the Children’s Scholarship Fund, students must be above 5 years. 

Conclusion: Average Private School Tuition (2024)

The American School Statistics reports saying that private school education is worth it as compared to any other school. However, the expense is a factor that can be taken into consideration by parents while choosing the school.

But I think the most crucial factor while deciding the school should be the type of environment, social connectivity in which they learn best, and the interests and natural talents they have to thrive.

I hope this article helped you to understand the average private school tuition and the yearly expenses you need to study with private schools.

If I have missed something to mention, then share it with us in the comment section below.

Alvin Parker

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