Data from the Council for American Private Education shows students in private schools perform well beyond their public school counterparts. The wealthy have long taken advantage of sending their children to private schools, but the top institutions are highly sought after and admissions are very competitive.

While the schools are quite expensive, many do offer financial aid, particularly for lower income families. What follows are the 15 most exclusive private schools for K-12 education that the rich fight to get their kids into.

15. Birch Wathen Lenox School

Location: New York, NY

Founded: 1912

Tuition: $62,500

Birch Wathen Lenox School is a K-12, coeducational, college preparatory independent school. It offers a classic education, but also offers innovative studies, such as in environmental science, democracy and dissent, and robotics and technology. It often uses the urban environment surrounding the school as a classroom for study.

14. Concord Academy

Location: Concord, MA

Founded: 1922

Tuition: $62,960

Concord Academy offers a curriculum for grades 1 through 12 that is grounded in the basics. The school also boasts of being progressive and striving for equity for its students, meaning it doesn’t rank students academically or reward those who excel.

13. Horace Mann School

Location: New York, NY

Founded: 1887

Tuition: $64,070

12. Newton Country Day School

Horace Mann is one of the largest independent schools in the country, offering classes across a variety of disciplines in the arts, humanities, and sciences. It also requires students to complete a swim test and earn American Red Cross CPR certification to graduate.

Location: Newton, MA

Founded: 1880

Tuition: $64,075

Newton Country Day School is an independent preparatory school for girls in grades 5-12. While focusing on the “whole woman” through its curriculum, the school has very small class sizes with an 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio. As a member of the International Network of Sacred Heart Schools, a Catholic association of schools in the U.S. and Canada, students in grades 10 and 11 are eligible to participate in a student exchange program.

11. Marymount School of New York

Location: New York, NY

Founded: 1926

Tuition: $64,600

10. The Lawrenceville School

Location: Lawrenceville, NJ

Founded: 1810

Tuition: $65,420

The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational, independent college preparatory boarding school for students in grades 9 through 12. The school seeks to ready students for the world through what it calls “House and Harkness.” Students live in one of four Houses where the students compete for house trophies while teaching is through a Socratic method of discussion called Harkness.

9. Ethical Culture Fieldston School

Location: New York, NY

Founded: 1878

Tuition: $65,540

The Ethical Culture Fieldston School is a progressive pre-K-12 institution committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Believing it is critical to the development of a student’s character, the school incorporates community service into its school experiences from the earliest grades.

8. The Browning School

Location: New York, NY

Founded: 1888

Tuition: $65,625

The Browning School is a college preparatory school for boys, but only accepts 22 to 26 studentsin kindergarten with 15 more allowed in grade 6. Several more are permitted by grade 9. Notable alumni of the school are John D. Rockefeller, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, and The New York Times publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzburger Jr.

7. Spence School

Location: New York, NY

Founded: 1892

Tuition: $65,846

Spence School is a progressive, independent all-girls school for grades K-12 the embraces diversity, equity, and inclusiveness. For that reason, it will consider for admission any student who identifies as a girl, while for those who no longer identify as such, they are permitted to remain at the school. 

6. Collegiate School

Location: New York, NY

Founded: 1628

Tuition: $65,900

Collegiate School is an independent K-12 school for boys that predates the founding of the country and extends back to when New York City was a Dutch settlement called New Amsterdam. The school features a student-to-teacher ratio of 6:1 and over 76% of its faculty have advanced degrees.

5. The Peddie School 

Location: Hightstown, NJ

Founded: 1864

Tuition: $66,000

The Peddie School is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school for grades 9-12 situated on a 280-acre campus. The school actively promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in its curriculum, and for upperclassmen in the school, they are encouraged to design their own summer research projects in various fields, including STEM, humanities, and arts. Its class sizes are small, with an 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio.

4. Riverdale Country School

Location: Bronx, NY

Founded: 1907

Tuition: $66,650

Riverdale Country School is a pre-K-12 co-educational institution that brings diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging into its curriculum. While offering a challenging academic program, the school’s curriculum also includes traditional outdoor activities like tree-climbing, camping, and hiking to foster a sense of environmental stewardship.

3. Trinity School

Location: New York, NY

Founded: 1709

Tuition: $66,740

Trinity School a college preparatory, coeducational independent day school for grades K-12. It is the fifth oldest in the U.S. In addition to a traditional curriculum, the school encourages students to participate in public service programs to work on issues such as hunger, homelessness, the elderly, and the environment.

2. Avenues

Location: New York, NY

Founded: 2012

Tuition: $68,500

Avenues is a 16-grade independent school that has grown to over 1,900 students since opening its doors. Its unique curriculum is based around 60 different elements known as the World Elements Framework covering thinking, character, well-being, and more. It promotes language immersion, projects, and public service.

1. The Forman School

Location: Litchfield, CT

Founded: 1930

Tuition: $77,500

Forman is an independent, coeducational college preparatory school. It is unique in that it specializes in students with learning difficulties, especially ADHD and dyslexia. As a result, its curriculum is based on each individual’s learning profile. With over 70 faculty members, it student-to-teacher ratio is only 3.5:1.

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