The 50 most expensive boarding schools in America

Location: Bethel, Maine

Total cost: $55,700

Enrollment: 240

The school's website says that northern winters are a cherished tradition. Gould Academy makes use of its close proximity to New England's premier ski resorts and mountains by offering students a number of competitive and non-competitive winter sports including alpine skiing and snowboarding.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Ojai, California

Total cost: $55,800

Enrollment: 260

The Catholic institution's culture and curriculum is based on the biblical teachings of Saint Augustine: community, truth, and love. It's part of a network of Augustinian schools and universities in 38 countries.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Ashburnham, Massachusetts

Total cost: $55,850

Enrollment: 400

This year, Cushing celebrated its 150th anniversary — it's one of the oldest co-ed boarding schools in the US.

Students have the opportunity to become Cushing Scholars, where guest speakers, small-group discussions, and off-campus events drive dialogue about current and global issues.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Byfield, Massachusetts

Total cost: $55,900

Enrollment: 400

The Governor's Academy says on its website that it's the oldest continuously operating boarding school in the US, founded well before the constitution was created. Despite its 250-year operation, the school harbors a commitment to modern innovation, especially making use of its seaside location for environmental research.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: New Hampton, New Hampshire

Total cost: $55,900

Enrollment: 305

Students searching for hands-on learning will find a home at The New Hampton School. NHS's flagship program, Project Week, is a student-faculty collaboration where project proposals for service, cultural, and academic projects are carried out in the spring every year. Project proposals for the 2015-2016 year range from on-campus electric go-kart building to a trip to Greece to study the recent bank crisis.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Wilbraham, Massachusetts

Total cost: $55,975

Enrollment: 455

Students are leaders at Wilbraham & Monson Academy. "Family meals" offer a chance for students to mingle with their dorms and take turns acting as wait staff for each other. Students also have leadership roles in the dorms where they serve as role models for their peers.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Tilton, New Hampshire

Total cost: $56,000

Enrollment: 240

Tilton School shapes its curriculum using Understanding by Design. The method first determines learning goals for students, then works backwards to establish lessons and assessments for achieving those understandings. Some lessons Tilton School aims to teach: "Everyone thinks; successful people think well," "Think globally, act locally," and "Work hard, play fair, have fun."

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Total cost: $56,130

Enrollment: 350

This Roman Catholic school boasts 1.24 miles of coastline and has 42 athletic teams, 26 of which are varsity sports teams like co-ed sailing. Portsmouth Abbey is also home to a fully-operational, on-campus monastery led by a community of Benedictine monks.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Sheffield, Massachusetts

Total cost: $56,150

Enrollment: 405

Berkshire's commitment to artistic excellence is evident at The Gallery — a modern exhibition space located in the school's new fine-arts center that displays a wide range of art by students, alumni, and friends of Berkshire School.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: McLean, Virginia

Total cost: $56,191

Enrollment: 309

Madeira's proximity to Washington, DC, provides its all-girl student body with rewarding internship opportunities — including a stint on Capitol Hill — as well as fun shopping trips in Georgetown and the ability to take advantage of DC's many free museums.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Easthampton, Massachusetts

Total cost: $56,200

Enrollment: 530

The Williston Northampton School is very generous with financial aid and scholarships, including merit-based scholarships for legacy applicants. Last year, 41 students had parents or grandparents who attended Williston Academy, Northampton School for Girls and Williston Northampton.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Winchendon, Massachusetts

Total cost: $56,200

Enrollment: 250

The Winchendon School, or "Winch" as it's known among students, seeks to discover students who are innovators, entrepreneurs, adventurers, and creators through DoI&T – the Do Innovation and Transformation program. Students are encouraged to take their interests and studies outside of the classroom to engage in independent study projects and internships in a wide range of interests from photography to farming.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Bethlehem, New Hampshire

Total cost: $56,250

Enrollment: 115

The White Mountain School's rugged, New Hampshire location lends itself perfectly to the school's Sustainability Studies course, which gets students out of the classroom and into the environment they're studying. Last year, the school installed a 44-kW solar array on campus.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Plymouth, New Hampshire

Total cost: $56,250

Enrollment: 280

Holderness turns into a creative art colony every March for tenth graders during Artward Bound, where aspiring artists work with and learn from professional artists-in-residence in multiple media. The ten-day event includes exploration in improvisational theater, mural painting, ceramics, papermaking, and African drumming, among other art forms.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Newtown, Pennsylvania

Total cost: $56,350

Enrollment: 540

With 240 acres of woods and lawns, George School, a Quaker institution, describes itself as the ultimate place to be yourself, discover new worlds, and help others.

The school recently unveiled its new Fitness and Athletics Center in time for the 2014-2015 sports season. The 100,000-square-foot facility includes a fully-equipped fitness center, eight-lane pool, yoga studio, and a training room with hydrotherapy and daily treatment areas.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Portland, Oregon

Total cost: $56,400

Enrollment: 850

OES's Aardvark Science Exposition is an annual science, engineering, computer science, and math research competition open to all students in seventh to 12th grades. Three finalists from the competition are sent to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair — the world's largest international pre-college science competition. This year, more than a dozen OES students received Grand Award prizes of $500 to $1,000.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Simsbury, Connecticut

Total cost: $56,450

Enrollment: 254

Walker's all-girl student body has full access to an acclaimed equestrian program that's been an integral part of school culture for over a century. An equestrian center and barn shelters 79 horses and includes two riding rings (indoor and outdoor) and four track rooms in addition to Walker's 300-acre campus of winding trails.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: San Anselmo, California

Total cost: $56,530

Enrollment: 618

This Catholic boarding school has an immersive Virtuoso Program for string instrument musicians who want a musical education as rigorous as their academic one. Students enrolled in the program have been accepted to top music schools including Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Claremont, California

Total cost: $56,685

Enrollment: 408

The Webb Schools — consisting of the all-boys Webb School of California and the all-girls Vivian Webb School — have a fully accredited museum of paleontology right on campus. Every Webb student spends a weekend on a real dig site to learn how field scientists work and to help discover new artifacts. According to the school's website, 95% of the museum's 140,000 specimen were found by Webb students, teachers, and alumni.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Pottersville, New Jersey

Total cost: $56,835

Enrollment: 70

Purnell's total cost drops off significantly after freshman year, once students have paid a $4,800 fee that covers "the demystification process" and appointments to assess the girls' strengths and set academic goals.

This year Purnell celebrates 50 years with more than 1,300 alumnae around the world.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Deerfield, Massachusetts

Total cost: $57,040

Enrollment: 636

Yale, Georgetown, Dartmouth, Harvard, and the University of Virginia are the most attended colleges by Deerfield alumni in the last 13 years. To help students get there, Deerfield provides 35% of its student body with $8 million in financial aid annually.

"The Deerfield Experience"– the balance of academics, co-curriculars, and residential activities – is the key to opportunity and success at Deerfield Academy.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Simsbury, Connecticut

Total cost: $57,110

Enrollment: 393

Performing arts has long been an integral part of the Westminster experience. At the center of campus is the state-of-the-art Werner Centennial Center, where dramatic theater, dance, and music performances are held.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Windsor, Connecticut

Total cost: $57,135

Enrollment: 675

Every year Loomis Chaffee designs events around an all-school theme. Last year the theme was "Memories" in honor of the school's centennial celebration. Students welcomed guest speakers, read books, and participated in community service related to the theme.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Pomfret, Connecticut

Total cost: $57,220

Enrollment: 350

At Pomfret, TELL stands for Teach, Engage, Listen, and Learn. All students participate in the TELL program — a series of 14 workshops throughout each year that cover topics such as sexuality, mindfulness and meditation, and diversity.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Sandy Spring, Maryland

Total cost: $57,295

Enrollment: 570

Athletics and outdoor learning are an important part of an SSFS education. Students have the opportunity to go hiking, trail running, rock climbing, or take a first responder course at this Quaker-affiliated school.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Granby, Massachusetts

Total cost: $57,300

Enrollment: 266*

MacDuffie implemented the BYOD (bring your own device) initiative last year, encouraging students and parents to take advantage of technology available for students through Google Apps.

The school's commitment to technology adds to their mission as a rigorous preparatory school that prepares students for college and beyond in the 21st century.

*2014-2015 enrollment

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: North Andover, Massachusetts

Total cost: $57,335

Enrollment: 380

The Exchange Program at Brooks School provides enrolled students the opportunity to spend four or five weeks abroad in places like Hungary, Botswana, Scotland, Spain, Peru, and France.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Millbrook, New York

Total cost: $57,375

Enrollment: 293

Millbrook students have full access to the Trevor Zoo — a six-acre wildlife park located right on campus that houses over 180 exotic and indigenous animals. Environmental-science courses use the Trevor Zoo for field activity and sustainability studies.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Concord, Massachusetts

Total cost: $57,385

Enrollment: 375

In the last five years, at least 10 students matriculated into top schools each year, including Columbia, Harvard, NYU, the University of Chicago, and Vanderbilt. Notable Middlesex alumni include actor Steve Carrell and founder of Instagram Kevin Systrom.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Natick, Massachusetts

Total cost: $57,480

Enrollment: 283

On top of a typical high school course load, students at Walnut Hill major in one of five artistic disciplines: dance, music, theater, and visual arts (writing, film, and media arts).

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Groton, Massachusetts

Total cost: $57,500*

Enrollment: 381

What started as a nightly ritual between the Rector and students has became a Groton School tradition: handshaking. Over 100 years later, students end each day by shaking the hands of their dorm heads to build a sense of community.

A number of notable alumni attended Groton School, an Episcopal-affiliated school, including four generations of the Roosevelt family.

*2014-2015 tuition

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Salisbury, Connecticut

Total cost: $57,600

Enrollment: 310

In addition to a rich tradition of athletic competition, the all-boys Salisbury School also teaches its student body the importance of the arts. Disciplines expand the visual arts to include boatbuilding and woodworking.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Bethesda, Maryland

Total cost: $57,670

Enrollment: 490

The only Jesuit boarding school in the country teaches its students through a holistic curriculum. In addition to a typical course load, each Georgetown Prep boy completes at least two years of Latin, four years of religion, and a Christian service-hours requirement by the time they graduate.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Troy, New York

Total cost: $57,696

Enrollment: 346

In 1814, Emma Hart Willard opened the doors to her Middlebury, Vermont, home and transformed it into a school. Now located in upstate New York, Emma Willard School threw its bicentennial bash last year, celebrating a 200-year-old legacy of excellence in girls' education. The school recently launched the Emma in 2020 initiative as a future commitment to "deep personalization, authentic culture, and distinctive worldview."

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Worcester, Massachusetts

Total cost: $57,881

Enrollment: 650

The camaraderie in the classroom extends to the courts, fields, and pools at Worcester Academy, where there are over 50 teams and 17 different sports available. Nearly 60% of students participate in the athletic program.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Kent, Connecticut

Total cost: $58,155

Enrollment: 570

Kent School prides itself on a host of traditions, including Rock Day, when fifth formers (aka 11th-graders) climb a mountain to paint their graduation year on a huge rock. The campus is situated on 1,200 acres between the Appalachian trail and the Housatonic River and boasts 10 miles of hiking and biking trails.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Weston, Massachusetts

Total cost: $58,350

Enrollment: 335

Modeled after the traditional New England style of democratic self-governance, Cambridge School of Weston hosts "town meetings" as a central forum of debate and a place for students to vote on important issues. A student is elected by the student body to preside over meetings.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Newport, Rhode Island

Total cost: $58,500

Enrollment: 370

Every semester the seaside Episcopal school sends students on one leg of a transatlantic voyage in a 69-foot marine research vessel called Geronimo, where they get a firsthand education in marine biology. Within the next two years, the ship will travel in a grand loop around the Mediterranean and back up to the East Coast by way of the Canary Islands and Puerto Rico with a rotation of students onboard.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Idyllwild-Pine Cove, California

Total cost: $58,550

Enrollment: 308

Through its commitment to provide an excellent arts education to students from all walks of life, Idyllwild Arts Academy awards financial aid to 60% of students. A new program available to junior and senior students also provides grants for master classes and career education.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Groton, Massachusetts

Total cost: $58,780

Enrollment: 403

As one of many efforts at Lawrence Academy to broaden students' horizons, the Cultural Coffeehouse Series promotes the sharing of views and life experiences through dialogues and guest speakers from near and far.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts

Total cost: $58,780

Enrollment: 351

This all-girls school prepares its students for the real world with the Girls Summer Entrepreneurship Program, a hands-on experience in the evolving business world. Participants develop and present a business plan, learn financial and marketing basics, and strengthen their problem-solving skills under the mentorship of business educators and professionals.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Mt. Hermon, Massachusetts

Total cost: $59,095

Enrollment: 650

With a student-teacher ratio of 7-to-1 and over 180 academic courses to choose from, Northfield Mount Hermon School students can bet on a personalized education. A network of adults called the Partnership of 12 (which includes parents, advisors, teachers, coaches, and work supervisors) works together to ensure every student's needs are met.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Dobbs Ferry, New York

Total cost: $59,110

Enrollment: 475

Located on 96 majestic acres 30 minutes outside New York City, The Masters School attracts students from 16 states and 31 countries. An international cultural experience is a central part of a Masters education.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Washington, DC

Total cost: $59,770

Enrollment: 575

Over the past five years, the universities that enrolled the most St. Albans School boys were Harvard, Yale, College of William and Mary, Georgetown University, and University of Michigan — evidence of the Bulldogs' premier education.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Lawrenceville, New Jersey

Total cost: $60,170

Enrollment: 816

The Lawrenceville School has adopted a "Green Campus Initiative" to focus on campus energy, materials, land, and water use. Three years ago, a nearly 25,000 panel, 30-acre solar farm was installed near campus.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Westbrook, Connecticut

Total cost: $60,175

Enrollment: 48

The crux of the all-boys school's unusually small enrollment is the Oxford Method – individualized courses, structured study time, and frequent feedback for students.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Total cost: $60,800

Enrollment: 200

A forward-looking institution, Brandon Hall partners with Naviance, a college and career readiness platform, to aide students on the road to college admissions. This partnership ensures that its students go on to attend some of the nation's top colleges.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Portola Valley, California

Total cost: $61,665

Enrollment: 350

Founded over 50 years ago by a group of Benedictine monks fleeing communism in post-war Hungary, Woodside Priory School promotes personal and academic growth based on its Benedictine values: individuality, community, hospitality, integrity, and spirituality.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.

Location: Pebble Beach, California

Total cost: $62,650

Enrollment: 520

Students at the Pebble Beach campus have access to an outdoor education like no other. Stevenson School organizes weekend trips to Joshua Tree, rock climbing, mountaineering, sea kayaking, and an extensive ropes course.

Methodology: Rankings are based on total cost, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees for boarding-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Daytime-only schools and special-needs boarding schools were not included.