The 50 most expensive top boarding schools in America

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The 50 most expensive top boarding schools in America

pomfret school

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It costs $61,000 annually to attend Pomfret School in Pomfret, Connecticut.

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Paying for a child's secondary education can be extremely expensive.

In fact, some of the top boarding schools in the US can end up costing parents upwards of $60,000 per year, more than the annual cost of some colleges or universities.

Read more: The most expensive college in every state

To find the country's most expensive top boarding schools, Business Insider consulted Niche's ranking of the 100 best boarding high schools in the country and then ranked them according to their tuition cost, which included the cost of housing.

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A majority of the boarding schools on the list were located on the East Coast. However, four out of the five most expensive top boarding schools were located in California.

Here are the 50 most expensive top boarding schools in America according to Niche, listed from the lowest tuition price to highest.

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50. Westtown School

50. Westtown School

Westtown School, located 25 miles west of Philadelphia, is an operating Quaker school in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The school was established in 1799 by the Philadelphia Quakers as a "safe haven" for young Quaker students. However, only 7.2% of students at Westtown School identify as Quakers, and the school admits students of all faiths. Facilities include a tennis stadium with 14 courts, a 25-meter swimming pool, an instructional organic farm, and a 14-acre lake complete with a beach and a boathouse.

Location: West Chester, Pennsylvania

Tuition: $59,130

Niche ranking: 38

49. The Governor's Academy

49. The Governor's Academy

The Governor's Academy, located in Byfield, Massachusetts, has been operating for over 250 years. It is the oldest boarding school in New England and sits on a naturally beautiful 456-acre campus just 33 miles north of Boston and five miles south of Newburyport.

Location: Byfield, Massachusetts

Tuition: $59,500

Niche ranking: 86

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48. Hackley School

48. Hackley School

Hackley School instructs students in years K-12 and focuses heavily on global education, diversity, and "ensuring that students learn from the varying perspectives and backgrounds in our community and the world."

Location: Tarrytown, New York

Tuition: $59,575

Niche ranking: 21

47. Saint Andrew's School

47. Saint Andrew's School

Saint Andrew's School is an Episcopal, co-educational boarding school in Boca Raton, Florida. The school teaches students in pre-K through 12th grade and offers both boarding and the option to attend the school as a day student. Boca Raton is home to five miles of ocean frontage and 39 gorgeous parks just minutes from the school's campus.

Location: Boca Raton, Florida

Tuition: $59,850

Niche ranking: 74

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46. St. Albans School

46. St. Albans School

St. Albans School in Washington, DC, opened its doors in 1909. This all-boys school currently houses 30 Upper School students, grades 9-12, from all over the world. As members of the only boarding school in Washington, DC, students of St. Albans School also enjoy a family-style lunch every day with their classmates and faculty members, fostering a stronger sense of community.

Location: Washington, DC

Tuition: $59,892

Niche ranking: 16

45. The Hotchkiss School

45. The Hotchkiss School

Located in Lakeville, Connecticut, The Hotchkiss School is home to 600 students in grades 9-12. Notable alumni include actress Allison Janney, Columbia Records executive John Hammond, and Olympic Candian Women's' Hockey gold medalist Gina M.A. Kingsbury.

Location: Lakeville, Connecticut

Tuition: $59,990

Niche ranking: 5

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44. Portsmouth Abbey School

44. Portsmouth Abbey School

Grounded in a religious Catholic background, Portsmouth Abbey School in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, is a coeducational boarding school for students in grades 9-12. The school is located on an expansive 525-acre campus along Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay, just a few miles from Newport. The school was rated as the best Catholic high school in Rhode Island of 2020.

Location: Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Tuition: $60,050

Niche ranking: 73

43. Georgetown Preparatory School

43. Georgetown Preparatory School

Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, Maryland, is the nation's oldest Catholic school and only Jesuit boarding school. Though the boys-only boarding school admits students of all faiths, their core religious principles lie at the heart of what the school hopes to accomplish through service, community, and exceptional education.

Location: North Bethesda, Maryland

Tuition: $60,280

Niche ranking: 42

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42. The Northwest School

42. The Northwest School

The Northwest School is located in the heart of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood and fosters a deep sense of community within its student body. The urban landscape and opportunities of Seattle are only a short walk from The Northwest School's campus buildings, allowing students to explore all that the city has to offer without straying too far from home.

Location: Seattle, Washington

Tuition: $60,485

Niche ranking: 71

41. Mercersburg Academy

41. Mercersburg Academy

Mercersburg Academy is both a boarding and day school located in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. There are currently 442 students enrolled at Mercersburg Academy. The school has a whopping $297 million endowment and 50% of students receive some form of financial aid.

Location: Mercersburg, Pennsylvania

Tuition: $60,680

Niche ranking: 63

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40. Annie Wright Schools

40. Annie Wright Schools

Nestled in the naturally beautiful North End neighborhood of Tacoma, Washington, Annie Wright Schools offers day programming as well as five-day and seven-day boarding, allowing students flexibility.

Location: Tacoma, Washington

Tuition: $60,700

Niche ranking: 80

39. Episcopal High School

39. Episcopal High School

Episcopal High School has been around for more than 175 years and has taken that time to foster a deep sense of pride in the school's community and lengthy history. Boarding students make up 86% of the school student body. Around 440 students from 17 countries and 30 states, including Washington DC, attend Episcopal High School.

Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Tuition: $60,900

Niche ranking: 36

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T38. Pomfret School

T38. Pomfret School

Located less than an hour from Boston, Hartford, and Providence, and only three hours from New York City, Pomfret School is a boarding and day school of 350 students in grades 9-12. This classic New England campus exudes historic charm, from the ivy-covered brick buildings to the maple trees and stone walls that line the campus.

Location: Pomfret, Connecticut

Tuition: $61,000

Niche ranking: 31

T38. Salisbury School

T38. Salisbury School

Located in northwest Connecticut, Salisbury School is an all-boys private boarding school with "world-class facilities" and a "beautifully maintained campus." The school has an average annual enrollment of 310 students, roughly 36% of whom receive financial aid.

Location: Salisbury, Connecticut

Tuition: $61,000

Niche ranking: 91

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37. The Cambridge School of Weston

37. The Cambridge School of Weston

Founded in 1886, The Cambridge School of Weston in Weston, Massachusetts, is a progressive day and boarding school where everyone is on a first-name basis, even the head of school. The school values diversity and gives its students ample leadership opportunities to shape their own lives while at school.

Location: Weston, Massachusetts

Tuition: $61,200

Niche ranking: 70

36. George School

36. George School

George School in Newtown, Pennsylvania, is attended by 550 students, 53% of whom live at the school as part of their boarding community. The school is co-educational and diverse — 40% of students are people of color and 29% are international students.

Location: Newtown, Pennsylvania

Tuition: $61,250

Niche ranking: 50

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35. The Hill School

35. The Hill School

The Hill School's beautiful campus covers more than 200 acres of land. The grounds include two artificial turf fields, an eight-lane track, and 11 new faculty homes. Both a boarding and a day school, most students live on campus. The student body is made up of 54% boys and 46% girls, with students from 32 states and 32 countries.

Location: Pottstown, Pennsylvania

Tuition: $61,410

Niche ranking: 39

T34. Lake Forest Academy

T34. Lake Forest Academy

Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, Ilinois, has an endowment of $30 million and a student body of 435 students. Of those 435 students, 48% live on campus. The campus is made up of more than 30 world-class buildings, including dormitories and athletics facilities.

Location: Lake Forest, Illinois

Tuition: $61,500

Niche ranking: 32

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T34. Dana Hall School

T34. Dana Hall School

Dana Hall is an all-girls boarding school located in Wellesley, Massachusetts. A cluster of four dorms for all grade levels is located in the center of campus overlooking the campus' pond. Larger house dorms feature spacious living rooms and kitchens, where juniors and seniors live and socialize.

Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts

Tuition: $61,500

Niche ranking: 59

33. St. George's School

33. St. George's School

St. George's School may cost a lot on paper, but the school claims to cater to families' financial needs and "is committed to providing admission to talented, motivated students regardless of their family's ability to pay." In 2019, $5.56 million was awarded in financial aid and the average boarding grant was $51,000.

Location: Middletown, Rhode Island

Tuition: $61,550

Niche ranking: 64

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32. The Hockaday School

32. The Hockaday School

The Hockaday School is an all-girls boarding and day school founded in 1913. Student amenities include spacious dorm rooms and common areas equipped with flat-screen TVs and full kitchens, as well as plenty of places for boarding and day students to socialize around campus.

Location: Dallas, Texas

Tuition: $61,621

Niche ranking: 18

31. The Loomis Chaffee School

31. The Loomis Chaffee School

Located in historic Windsor, Connecticut, the Loomis Chaffee School is a renowned New England boarding school located on a 300-acre campus. Around 480 boarding students live in the 13 dorms located on the school's tree-lined campus. In 2019, the Loomis Chaffee School raised $4.5 million from alumni, students, parents, and friends of the school.

Location: Windsor, Connecticut

Tuition: $61,760

Niche ranking: 13

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30. Deerfield Academy

30. Deerfield Academy

Deerfield Academy is a selective boarding school located in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Approximately 40% of Deerfield's student body identifies as US students of color, and while a majority of the school's 655-student community lives on campus, 84 local students from Pioneer Valley attend as day students.

Location: Deerfield, Massachusetts

Tuition: $61,840

Niche ranking:8

29. Milton Academy

29. Milton Academy

Milton Academy is a boarding and day school in Massachusetts. Of its 730 students, 44% identify as students of color and 12% are international students. Milton is just eight miles from downtown Boston, a huge draw for students who want to experience traditional campus life and explore a more urban metropolis.

Location: Milton, Massachusetts

Tuition: $61,920

Niche ranking: 14

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28. St. Paul's School

28. St. Paul's School

St. Paul's School is a co-educational boarding school with a student body of 525 students from all over the world. The historic campus sits on more than 2,000 wooded acres. According to the school's website, some of St. Paul's state-of-the-art sports facilities include a 95,000-square-foot fitness center, an eight-lane indoor swimming pool, two rock-climbing walls, two hockey rinks, squash and tennis courts, a 2,000-meter rowing course with boathouse, and nine athletic fields.

Location: Concord, New Hampshire

Tuition: $62,000

Niche ranking: 6

27. Emma Willard School

27. Emma Willard School

Emma Willard School is an elite all-girls school located in Troy, New York. With an operating budget of $20,335,901 and a huge endowment of $103,690,339, this school has the means to provide the best possible experience for both its boarding and day students. With bowling, hiking trails, and a downtown area just a short walk away, students can enjoy themselves on and off campus.

Location: Troy, New York

Tuition: $62,150

Niche ranking: 27

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26. The Lawrenceville School

26. The Lawrenceville School

The Lawrenceville School is located on 700 acres in a historical section of Lawrenceville, New Jersey. The boarding school accepts students in grades 9-12 and has an endowment of $470 million.

Location: Lawrenceville, New Jersey

Tuition: $62,190

Niche ranking: 4

25. Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

25. Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart is an all-girls middle and high school. Up to 28 students in grades 9-12 live on campus in the school's dormitory. According to the school's website, Forest Ridge is the only school in Washington state with a Catholic, independent, all-girls residential life program.

Location: Bellevue, Washington

Tuition: $62,300

Niche ranking: 77

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24. The Putney School

24. The Putney School

Located in Putney, Vermont, the Putney School has a total enrollment of 232 students, 170 students of whom live at the school. The co-educational school is for grades 9-12, and the average class size is just 12 students.

Location: Putney, Vermont

Tuition: $62,400

Niche ranking: 93

23. The Taft School

23. The Taft School

The Taft School is a private Connecticut boarding school founded in 1890. In the 2018-2019 school year, the school raised $4,810,512 for its annual fund. Alumni gave a total of $2,291,955, while current parents raised a record $2,057,855. There are currently 587 students enrolled in Taft.

Location: Watertown, Connecticut

Tuition: $62,500

Niche ranking: 25

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22. Cate School

22. Cate School

Located in Southern California, Cate School was founded in 1910 and has a total enrollment of 210 students. According to Cate School's website, 28% of students receive need-based financial aid. The student body is made up of 220 boarders and 60 day students.

Location: Carpinteria, California

Tuition: $62,700

Niche ranking: 9

T21. The Hun School of Princeton

T21. The Hun School of Princeton

The Hun School of Princeton is a private, co-educational boarding school for students in grades 6-12. The school is an hour from New York, Philadelphia, and the beach, and it has the following motto: "Our boarding program is big, but our community is small."

Location: Princeton, New Jersey

Tuition: $63,200

Niche ranking: 55

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T21. Suffield Academy

T21. Suffield Academy

Located in the quaint New England town of Suffield, Connecticut, Suffield Academy offers facilities for rock climbing as well as a high- and low-ropes course. The school also has a lifestyle center offering extracurricular activities including yoga, meditation, Pilates, and barre classes.

Location: Suffield, Connecticut

Tuition: $63,200

Niche ranking: 87

T20. The Madeira School

T20. The Madeira School

The Madeira School in McLean, Virginia, is located on 376 acres overlooking the Potomac River. The school has six dormitories, an indoor competition-size pool, and a state-of-the-art turf field. Roughly 52% of the school's student body population lives on campus.

Location: McLean, Virginia

Tuition: $63,250

Niche ranking: 44

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T20. St. Mark's School

T20. St. Mark's School

St. Mark's School is a co-educational preparatory school with both boarding and day students. Founded in 1865, the school is one of the oldest private boarding schools in New England.

Location: Southborough, Massachusetts

Tuition: $63,250

Niche ranking: 24

19. Westminster School

19. Westminster School

Westminster School has an endowment of $100.5 million. The school has a financial aid budget of $5.86 million and 34% of students receive financial aid. At Westminster School, 75% of students live on campus.

Location: Simsbury, Connecticut

Tuition: $63,485

Niche ranking: 61

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18. Northfield Mount Hermon School

18. Northfield Mount Hermon School

Northfield Mount Hermon School is a co-educational prep and boarding school located in rural Massachusetts. According to the school's website, Northfield Mount Hermon's mission is to "engage the intellect, compassion, and talents of our students, empowering them to act with humanity and purpose."

Location: Mount Hermon, Massachusetts

Tuition: $63,500

Niche ranking: 37

17. Avon Old Farms School

17. Avon Old Farms School

Avon Old Farms is an all-boys school founded in 1927. Around 400 male boarding students live on Avon Old Farms' historic campus.

Location: Avon, CT

Tuition: $63,600

Niche ranking: 96

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16. Cushing Academy

16. Cushing Academy

Cushing Academy is a co-educational school founded in 1865. The school's student body is 91% boarding students. Notable alumni from Cushing Academy include Bette Davis, Nate Berkus, John Cena, the King of Bhutan, and captain of 2018 U.S. Women's Olympic Hockey Team and gold medalist Meghan Duggan.

Location: Ashburnham, Massachusetts

Tuition: $63,700

Niche ranking: 62

15. Westover School

15. Westover School

Westover School is an all-girls boarding school located in Middlebury, Connecticut. It has 189 students in grades 9-12 and a student-teacher ratio of 4-to-1. It was voted No. 3 on Niche's list of the Best All-Girls High Schools in Connecticut.

Location: Middlebury, Connecticut

Tuition: $63,800

Niche ranking: 72

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14. Fairmont Preparatory Academy

14. Fairmont Preparatory Academy

Fairmont Preparatory Academy is a co-educational private school founded in 1993. The school's website touts that it has won awards as the "Best Private School" in Orange County in Parenting OC's Readers' Choice Awards for four consecutive years.

Location: Anaheim, California

Tuition: $63,895

Niche ranking: 56

13. Oaks Christian School

13. Oaks Christian School

Oaks Christian School is a private day and boarding school serving grades 5-12. The school's website says that 99% of Oaks Christian School graduates are accepted into college, "often to highly-selective, top-tier schools." The campus is located near mountain ranges and is minutes from the Pacific Ocean.

Location: Westlake Village, California

Tuition: $64,000

Niche ranking: 83

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12. Middlesex School

12. Middlesex School

Middlesex School is just 20 miles outside of Boston and accepts both boarding and day students in grades 9-12. The school, located on a 350-acre campus, has an enrollment of 408 students, 70% of whom are boarding students.

Location: Concord, Massachusetts

Tuition: $64,150

Niche ranking: 10

T11. Berkshire School

T11. Berkshire School

Berkshire School's campus is located at the foot of Mount Everett in Sheffield, Massachusetts. Four hundred students are enrolled in the school, and the school's boarding community includes students from across the United States and 30 different countries.

Location: Sheffield, Massachusetts

Tuition: $64,200

Niche ranking: 57

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T11. Blair Academy

T11. Blair Academy

Founded in 1848, Blair Academy has an extremely selective acceptance rate of just 18%. The school's endowment is $105 million and roughly 80% of all students live on campus.

Location: Blairstown, New Jersey

Tuition: $64,200

Niche ranking: 40

10. Concord Academy

10. Concord Academy

Concord Academy in Concord, Massachusetts, has a more evenly split population of boarders and day students — 60% of students call the campus home. Despite the high tuition, only 25% of students receive financial aid. However, there is a $5 million budget allotted for financial aid.

Location: Concord, Massachusetts

Tuition: $64,240

Niche ranking: 17

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9. The Masters School

9. The Masters School

The Masters School offers an exciting boarding experience for its students. On the weekends, students can venture into New York City or hang out on this historic school's beautiful campus.

Location: Dobbs Ferry, New York

Tuition: $64,400

Niche ranking: 51

8. Tabor Academy

8. Tabor Academy

As a selective and expensive boarding school, Tabor School takes into account students' ability to pay when making the final decision on whether to accept them. On the school's website, the school claims that the final phase in the selection process is "need-aware," meaning the Admissions Center weighs the student's overall academic and personal strengths against available funds.

Location: Marion, Massachusetts

Tuition: $64,500

Niche ranking: 97

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7. Oregon Episcopal School

7. Oregon Episcopal School

Oregon Episcopal School is located on a rural 59-acre campus. 870 students in pre-K through twelfth grade attend the school, which is located within a short distance of downtown Portland. Students living on campus enjoy a wide range of delicious food, from vegan and gluten-free options to Chinese, Indian, Mexican, and Thai cuisine.

Location: Portland, Oregon

Tuition: $65,100

Niche ranking: 34

6. San Domenico School

6. San Domenico School

San Domenico School is a co-educational boarding and day school located on 515 acres in San Anselmo, California, just 35 minutes north of San Francisco. The school has a $12.6 million endowment, and although the tuition price tag is steep, the school claims that 39% of students pay below the top of the tuition index.

Location: San Anselmo, California

Tuition: $65,610

Niche ranking: 82

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5. The Webb Schools

5. The Webb Schools

Founded in 1922, the headmaster of The Webb Schools in Claremont, California, touts the school's excellent track record when it comes to students getting into the nation's most selective colleges. "Our college placement into the Ivy League, into the best women's colleges and small national liberal arts colleges, and, in fact, into the top 10 percent of all colleges and universities nationwide, remains remarkable," he says in his letter on the school's website.

Location: Claremont, California

Tuition: $66,130

Niche ranking: 26

4. The Athenian School

4. The Athenian School

Located in sunny Danville, California, The Athenian School offers an elite secondary school education and a close-knit residential experience. Of the 530 students that make up Athenian's upper and lower schools, roughly 60 students live on campus. Nearly 59% of Athenian students are people of color and the boarding student community is made up of students from 20 different countries.

Location: Danville, California

Tuition: $67,000

Niche ranking: 28

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3. Stevenson School

3. Stevenson School

Attending Stevenson School in Pebble Beach will cost you a pretty penny. The upper school's tuition falls around $67,500, while children entering the school's pre-K program pay around $17,100 per year.

Location: Pebble Beach, California

Tuition: $67,500

Niche ranking: 68

2. The Village School

2. The Village School

The Village School spans a campus of more than 28 acres and has plans to expand even further. Boarding students are housed in a brand new, four-story dormitory. Each floor of the luxurious dormitory offers a full kitchen, vending machine area, and washer-dryers for student use, while the outside courtyard features a grill station and an entertaining area with outdoor cooking space.

Location: Houston, Texas

Tuition: $67,750

Niche ranking: 47

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1. Woodside Priory School

1. Woodside Priory School

The most expensive top boarding school in the country, Woodside Priory School costs more than $70,000 per year to attend. Day students pay lower tuition on average — roughly $46,100 per year. Residential life at Woodside Priory School is undeniably luxurious. According to the school's website, student-favorite dinners include filet mignon and Malaysian crab. Features of Woodside Priory School dorms include pool tables, ping pong tables, flat-screen TVs, and access to the school's heated swimming pool.

Location: Portola Valley, California

Tuition: $71,975

Niche ranking: 23