Elite Private School Tuition in NYC Has Surged Past $70,00 Per Year

It’s been said that a good education is the best investment, and New York City’s top private schools hope people live up to that adage as tuition rises to new heights.

Annual costs at eight of the city’s most elite schools will eclipse the $70,000 mark for the 2026-27 school year, charging more than the nation’s best colleges, according to a new analysis published by Bloomberg.

Schools generally point to the rising cost of living in New York and increase salary costs to retain top teachers and staff at their institutions. Avenues World School in Chelsea was the first to breach the $70,000 mark, charging $72,300 for tuition for the 2025-26 year, while seven more schools will raise tuition into the 70s next year. At this top tier of schools, tuition will rise 4.7 percent next year, beating inflation. And Bloomberg reports that since 2014, the median price of a private school in New York has risen to $39,900.

“There’s sticker shock for some families — especially those who might be moving from big cities to New York — but there’s also acceptance,” said Bloomberg, an education consultant who works with families when applying to private schools. “There’s an expectation that as the cost of living goes up, that tuition will go up every year, whether it’s preschool or college.”

Some of the cost of attendance is provided by the schools themselves. Avenue, which is raising its tuition 4.2 percent next year, to $75,300, gives $20 million in financial aid to 20 percent of its students. And Poly Prep Country Day School, which is raising its tuition 3.8 percent for 2026-27, to $71,852, provides $14.5 million in aid to 22 percent of its students.

Rising costs have led more families to seek financial aid to fund their child’s education. And Ruben Arono, who owns the NYC firm School Search to help families who attend private schools, says that even a little help is needed, “so that their family can breathe a little more or take a vacation.”

Look on the bright side for these kids and parents, though: If students graduate from one of these elite schools and enter Harvard, the university’s $59,320 annual tuition will feel like a waiver.