Many parents will opt for expensive or private high school education in the US to give their children the skills they will need in an ever-changing world.
There is almost likely a school that will suit each and every child, with options ranging from boarding schools to alternative schools to preschools.
While most private high schools in the US prioritize academics, many also emphasize a well-rounded education and encourage participation in extracurricular activities such as athletics, music, the arts, or clubs.
Most high schools have amazing resources to aid student learning in the classroom, on the sports field, in the art studio, and elsewhere whether they’re expensive or not.
Students have the opportunity to fully explore their interests and abilities thanks to excellent resources and extracurricular activities.
While you wonder if expensive high schools are worth it, this article has a list of the best expensive high schools in the US.
What Years Are High School In USA?
In the United States, the majority of high schools are four years long, from 9th to 12th grade.
They label the grades in the following ways: 9th grade is a freshman, 10th grade is a sophomore, 11th grade is a junior, and 12th grade is a senior. About 98 percent of kids and parents refer to grades by their full names.
In certain areas, high schools are divided into grades 10 through 12, with the same grades and nomenclature as four-year high schools.
The local education board decides whether to build a three-year or four-year high school. Those boards are normally managed by a city, although they can also be governed by a county or parish. There may even be the formation of special districts in some locations.
How Much Does High School Cost In The USA?
High schools typically serve students in grades nine through twelve, with enrolment ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand.
While there are many traditional academic high schools, most private and public high schools specialize in one or more areas, such as college preparation, the arts, sciences, technology, military service, or religious study.
Therefore, costs are typical as follows:
Public high schools do not charge tuition, but they may collect fees ranging from $5 to $200 per item for textbooks, supplies, physical education, clubs, yearbooks, technology, and participation in sports or other activities.
A school year’s total fees can range from $100 to $700 or more. Meanwhile, fee waivers are usually available for families who are economically poor or homeless.)
Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 in Illinois, for example, charges $170 for textbooks, $9-$40 for consumable workbooks, a $30 activity fee, $200-$250 for driver’s education, $129 for competitive sports, $24 for non-competitive sports, $24 for chess club, $74 for choir, 63 for speech team, and $106 for the band.
Private high school tuition ranges from $6,000 to $35,000 or more, depending on the school’s concentration, whether religious or nonsectarian, the teacher-to-pupil ratio, the school’s location, and its reputation.
According to the National Catholic Education Association, the average high school tuition is $9,622.
Ranking of the Most Expensive High Schools in the United States
Here is a list of the most expensive High Schools in the US:
15. Episcopal High School – Annual Tuition of $60,900
We will not be in shock if someone mistakenly thinks that Episcopal High School was a college campus.
The first high school in Virginia is located on 130 acres of well-kept grounds with attractive brick sidewalks and buildings.
Inside the school, you can find kids in state-of-the-art classrooms, massive gyms, squash centers, or the on-campus church.
But what makes this institution unique is what it offers outside of the classroom.
Each student participates in at least 80-100 “Washington Program” experiences, which include trips to nearby Washington, D.C., and an on-site externship in the capital for all seniors.
You can read this: 15 Most Expensive College in the US | 2024
14. Salisbury School – Annual Tuition of $61,000
Becoming a Crimson Knight at Salisbury School in Connecticut costs $61,000 per year.
The all-boys, private college-preparatory school has a gymnasium with 110,000 square feet of space. Isn’t that enough? How about an Olympic-sized rink?
In addition, there are two basketball courts, eight squash courts, a wrestling room, two weight and fitness centers, and a 500-seat grass field arena.12
The academic program at Salisbury School spans everything from digital media and entrepreneurship to boat building and tiny house design and construction.
Students go to the dining hall after a long day of classes to enjoy Milkshake Mondays, farm-to-table cuisine selections, an “Asian Pho bar,” cookouts, and themed dinners.
13. The Storm King School – Annual Tuition of $61,700
The Storm King School is one of New York’s oldest boarding schools, and it has been listed among North America’s top 50 boarding schools.
And any of the 195 lucky kids that attend get to sit in a class with an average of only eight classmates.
The 55-acre campus, according to a student, is “big yet cozy at the same time.”
However, we are unsure which properties include fencing teams, tennis courts, and small dormitory buildings known as “cottages.”
The school also has its own private cooks who run a noodle bar, sandwich bar, pasta bar, and vegetable bar, among other things.
12. St. Paul’s School – Annual Tuition of $62,000
This $62,000 boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire, says it is “very selective” about which high school students are allowed to live on its 2,000-acre property.
St. Paul’s School is a member of the Eight Schools Association, a collection of eight of the country’s most prestigious private schools.
And athletics are just as important as academics at this school. Not only are all 500+ students expected to participate in at least one athletic team, but the campus also houses the first hockey game ever played in the United States.
Another notable feature is that the first squash court in the country was constructed on the premises.
11. Trinity-Pawling School — Annual Tuition of $62,000
“Where boys find their grandeur” is how Trinity-Pawling School, an all-boys residential school 60 miles north of New York City, describes itself. However, greatness comes with a hefty $62,000 annual tuition fee.
The 300 students will be able to use the on-campus contemporary arts center, a 400-seat theater, a greenhouse, and numerous athletic fields for that amount.
Students at Trinity-Pawling School must also follow a strict dress code. All males must wear Trinity-Pawling navy blue blazers, gray dress slacks, a white button-down shirt, and a blue and gold tie, commonly in the form of a bow tie.
10. St. Andrew’s School – Annual Tuition of $62,280
All 300+ students at St. Andrew’s School in Middletown, Delaware, are forced to live and board on campus.
There’s plenty of room for everyone at this institution, which is situated on a 2,200-acre tract.
But, aside from its size, the campus is so evocative of a New England boarding school that it was included in an episode of The West Wing (as young President Bartlet’s boarding school).
A six-lane crew course, a boathouse, 14 tennis courts, five soccer fields, four lacrosse fields, an indoor rowing facility, and nine regulation squash courts are all on the St. Andrew’s campus.
Maggie Rogers, a singer, and Erin Burnett, a CNN host, are both St. Andrew’s School graduates. Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, diplomats, professional athletes, Olympic gold medalists, and US ambassadors are among the graduates.
9. Wasatch Academy – Annual Tuition of $62,300
“America’s boarding school for Generation Z,” claims Wasatch Academy. And evidently, appealing to this age means having an after-school ski club, equestrian club, indoor and outdoor rock climbing, and mountain biking at one Utah-based school.
The campus also contains state-of-the-art classrooms, as well as attractive and pleasant theaters and art studios.
Students can also enroll in pottery-throwing, sewing, video recording, and/or 3-D animation lessons at the institution.
The campus also has a large weightlifting gym, an indoor pool, and indoor basketball courts for individuals who enjoy after-school athletics.
Wasatch Academy boasts one of the greatest high school basketball teams in the country, which surely helps.
8. IMG Academy – Annual Tuition of $63,000
The IMG Academy looks just like the notoriously enormous Olympic training camps. And that’s because IMG Academy is precisely that.
This private boarding school serves as both a sports training camp and a boarding school.
Students can participate in baseball, basketball, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track & field, and cross country year-round.
Seeing is believing on this campus.
IMG Academy’s dazzling facilities, vast fields, seemingly mile-long weightlifting rooms, and top-of-the-line training facilities are all visible with a fast search.
Sports and weight training are incorporated into the pupils’ class schedules because they are also dedicated, athletes.
7. The Berkshire School – Annual Tuition of $64,200
The Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, is distinguished by its emerald green quads and imposing white structures.
It’s no surprise that Nike chooses to hold its annual Running Camp here every year, with some of the top sports facilities in New England on its 400-acre campus.
With “tastefully proportioned ivy-covered buildings” and “acres of pristine forest laced with trails that rise behind the school,” the Boston Globe once called this school “one of the prettiest campuses in Massachusetts, if not the country,” with “tastefully proportioned ivy-covered buildings” and “acres of pristine forest laced with trails that rise behind the school.”
Students can participate in after-school activities such as a croquet club, a dog walking club, a bagpipes club, and more on that spotless campus.
6. The Lang School – Annual Tuition of $65,000
The Lang School in New York City has some rather high standards for its students.
“Beyond taking college entry requirements, students choose electives, construct a portfolio, obtain mentors, apply for competitive internships, and choose their college majors – often by their junior year,” according to The Lang School’s website.
Aside from the demand of a $65,000 sky-high tuition check from each student, all upper school students are assigned an independent study on a topic they are enthusiastic about at this remarkable institution.
The program recommends “studying the history of surgical knots” and “learning to disassemble and reassemble a Porsche,” for example.
5. The Oxford Academy – Annual Tuition of $67,000
With a name like The Oxford Academy, it’s practically a given that everyone who attends will be paying a substantial tuition fee.
This all-boys boarding school is located in Westbrook, Connecticut, one of the wealthiest communities in the United States, and it costs an eye-popping $67,000 each year to attend.
The 48 pupils who attend this school are guaranteed “individualized one-on-one classes” that teach in an “alternative to a regular classroom setting” for that sum.
Some students take advantage of their proximity to the ocean outside of the classroom by joining the school’s sailing club.
Others benefit from the school’s international tours, such as the annual eight-day trip to Italy.
4. The Woodhall School – Annual Tuition of $74,500
The Woodhall School markets its personalized learning methodologies and small class sizes to “unconventional learners.” And when we say small classes, we really mean tiny.
Because each class has only 2–5 students, everyone has their own individual high school tutor. As a result, the total number of students registered in the school at any given moment is limited to 42.
Students may be enjoying their breakfast, which includes an omelet chef, while they are not in their specialized classrooms.
They could also be members of astronomy, investing and charity, music, a cappella, or social media groups at school.
There’s also a campus pond, sand volleyball courts, and 25 acres of woodlands to explore.
3. The Quad Preparatory School – Annual Tuition: $74,850
The Quad Preparatory School, which is located in the heart of Manhattan, specializes in teaching gifted students.
On a typical day at The Quad, a high school student might attend advanced math or language classes, as well as a mandatory foreign language course, counseling, and health and wellness classes.
There are also electives led by students, such as video news broadcasting or cuisine.
The Quad School strives to place its students in the greatest colleges in the country.
Each student must have weekly individual sessions with a college counselor and bi-weekly check-ins with academic advisors by the 11th and 12th grades.
That sounds like a lot of stress. It’s no surprise that the school’s grounds have a “Zen Zone” on them!
Also, you can check this: 20 Gift Ideas For High School Graduates in 2024
2. Forman School – Annual Tuition of $78,600
The Forman School in Litchfield, Connecticut, caters to students with ADD and ADHD by offering lessons that are believed to provide them with the keys to success as they prepare for college.
However, those keys to college come with an annual fee of $78,600, which is more expensive than some of the universities themselves.
An inventiveness lab, a robotics lab, various dormitories, tennis courts, sporting facilities, and a big dining hall are all part of the 125-acre rural campus.
They give the majority of the food on campus locally, and the Lion’s Den Bistro offers cooking workshops, making even lunchtime an educational experience.
A select group of pupils can opt out of sports and labor six days a week in the school kitchen.
1. Shortridge Academy – Annual Tuition of $85,000
Shortridge Academy prides itself on being a therapeutic boarding school. As children struggle to negotiate the weird time that is adolescence, the school says it focuses on emotional and behavioral well-being in addition to academic programming.
In fact, each student has a personal counselor with whom he or she may discuss their concerns, and counselors collaborate with parents to create a customized treatment plan.
Students can also participate in activities like jiu-jitsu, weight training, and outdoor hiking, as well as a variety of creative arts and music programs.
After graduating from Shortridge, many of these kids go on to one of their top-choice institutions.
Conclusion
Most expensive high schools in the US can provide pupils with a wide choice of specializations, including arts, athletics, math, and science, in addition to the necessary disciplines required by provincial curricula.
Above all, the best expensive high schools have a history of generating numerous leaders in politics, industry, and society, as well as a history of fast adjusting to technological and cultural changes.
References
- finance101.com – The Most Expensive High Schools In The United States, Ranked
- education.costhelper.com – How Much Does High School Cost?
Recommendations
- 15 Most Expensive College in the US | 2024
- Top 10 Online Christian High Schools
- 20 Gift Ideas For High School Graduates in 2024
- Best Pharmacy Schools In Virginia 2024 | Requirements, Cost, & Programs
- Easiest Dental Schools to get into in 2024 | Expert Guide
- 15 Best Laptops for High school Students in 2024 | Full Review
