The 50 Most Expensive Private High Schools In America

Location: Watertown, Connecticut

Tuition and fees: $41,045

Enrollment: 576

The school's mascot, the rhino, was chosen in honor of a popular student in the late '80s who apparently ran like a rhino when he was playing soccer.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: North Andover, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $41,311

Enrollment: 380

Students participate in afternoon programs in the arts, sports, and community service; if they're passionate about another subject or issue, they also have the option of designing their own afternoon programs.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Washington, D.C.

Tuition and fees: $41,341

Enrollment: 575

The all-boys St. Albans is renovating its sports fields to expand its prestigious athletics program. Renovations will include a large multisport field, regulation baseball field, and six-lane running track.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition and fees: $41,350

Enrollment: 1,300

Dalton is the alma mater of some high profile alumni, including Anderson Cooper, Claire Danes, and Chevy Chase.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition and fees: $41,600

Enrollment: 740

College counseling for Dwight School students starts early and continues until acceptance letters come in the mail. Dwight is a pipeline to some of the top universities in the world, including Harvard, Stanford, Dartmouth, Princeton, MIT, NYU, and McGill.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: McLean, Virginia

Tuition and fees: $41,724

Enrollment: 306

Madeira makes sure its girls never want for access to the latest technology. For that reason, all teachers have iPads and all classrooms are equipped with Apple TVs.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition and fees: $41,785

Enrollment: 580

Every January, students and staff at this all-girls school participate in the annual, activity-filled Winter Carnival around the Nightingale-Bamford v. Brearley School game.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Windsor, Connecticut

Tuition and fees: $41,870

Enrollment: 650

Loomis Chaffee's wide array of student clubs span all kinds of interests, from the BBQ club to the stock and finance club to "the Academy," Loomis' hip-hop club.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition and fees: $41,900

Enrollment: 698

Rising juniors and seniors at this all-girls school have the opportunity to spend three weeks in India, China, or Vermont, working on projects that involve sustainable farming, examining poverty, or improving education.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition and fees: $41,940

Enrollment: 1,290

CGPS was founded 10 years before Columbia University, and was originally an all-boys school (now co-ed) designed to be a college preparatory for Columbia University.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Wallingford, Connecticut

Tuition and fees: $42,089

Enrollment: 865

Choate students never feel lost or alone on campus; day students have access to a Director of Day Students, as well as 10 student prefects who act as advisors, mentors, and friends.

All students are required to have the latest generation iPad, which factors into the school fees.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Brookline, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $42,120

Enrollment: 775

Dexter Southfield students are notably eloquent. From the time they enroll, public speaking becomes an important part of their education through poetry readings, debates, and class presentations.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Milbrook, New York

Tuition and fees: $42,125

Enrollment: 284

Trevor Zoo sits right on the Millbrook campus. In fact, it's the only zoo in the country located at a high school. Students can study the animals right on campus with biology teachers.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Milton, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $42,130

Enrollment: 695

Milton is known for its bright and gifted students who have a knack for all things academic. Almost 30% of the 2014 graduating class went to Ivy League universities this fall.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New Milford, Connecticut

Tuition and fees: $42,179

Enrollment: 350

The Roman Catholic school operates on Five Values — Honesty, Respect, Compassion, Spirituality, and Self-Reliance — that drive and motivate students to succeed.

Additional tuition refund insurance, billed at 2.5% of annual tuition, is required.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Weston, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $42,350

Enrollment: 490

The Rivers School is known for its prestigious Conservatory Program that trains musician scholars for careers in music and performance.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Carpinteria, California

Tuition and fees: $42,350

Enrollment: 270

Cate's campus, known affectionately as "the Mesa," is two miles from the ocean, 20 miles from Santa Barbara, and close to school-owned land in the beautiful Los Padres National Forest.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Byfield, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $42,400

Enrollment: 400+

The Governor's Academy has a partnership with the nearby Navajo Preparatory School in which students visit each others' schools for a week in a cultural exchange.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Basking Ridge, New Jersey

Tuition and fees: $42,498

Enrollment: 1,080

Lunches at Pingry are derived from as many locally-sourced ingredients as possible — sometimes as local as the school's own community gardens.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition and fees: $42,500

Enrollment: 525

Students at this all-girls school are divided into two teams named for the school's colors, blue and white, and compete in an annual color war to promote school pride, camaraderie, and a little friendly competition.

Students in grade eight and above also incur a one-time charge for a laptop.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Dedham, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $42,600

Enrollment: 603

The Putnam Library has over 35,000 print volumes, as well as online and e-book resources that make Kindles, MacBooks, and other academic technology available to students.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition and fees: $42,675

Enrollment: 775

Class 10 Chapin girls have the opportunity to go on an exchange program with St. Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls in Perth, Australia — a recently launched program.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition and fees: $42,810

Enrollment: 700

CSH is a part of a 150-plus-schools-strong global network of Catholic girls' schools that provides graduates with a worldwide network of Sacred Heart alumnae.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Middleburg, Virginia

Tuition and fees: $42,900

Enrollment: 165

Foxcroft girls benefit from a highly rigorous academic curriculum. The weight of the course load and school work students are assigned prepares them for some of the best colleges in the world.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition and fees: $42,925

Enrollment: 375

The all-boys Browning School takes pride in the continuing closeness and friendships that develop in the classroom. Alumni frequently return for events, and can take advantage of a career networking intranet through the school's alumni web page.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Sheffield, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $42,975

Enrollment: 399

Day students are fully integrated into the Berkshire community along with their boarding counterparts. Every day student is assigned an academic advisor who ensures he or she grows emotionally and academically.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Idyllwild-Pine Cove, California

Tuition and fees: $43,100

Enrollment: 300

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.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Concord, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $43,100

Enrollment: 375

In the last five years, at least 10 students matriculated into top colleges each year, including Columbia, Harvard, NYU, the University of Chicago, and Vanderbilt, among others.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition and fees: $43,135

Enrollment: 736

Some girls commute as many as three hours to attend the prestigious Upper East Side school. The trip is well worth it though, as many graduates go on to attend Ivy League schools.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Newton, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $43,150

Enrollment: 411

This Roman Catholic school gives its senior girls the option of conducting an independent study, which involves an off-site internship and oral presentation to teachers about the experience.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition and fees: $43,265

Enrollment: 1,700

ECFS students get as much of their education out of the classroom as much as in it. This includes community service out in New York City, non-profit internships, and ethics and philosophy classes.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition and fees: $43,320

Enrollment: 960

Global travel is a big part of this Episcopalian school's curriculum. Students can spend time studying in Spain, China, Costa Rica, Vietnam, Italy, Quebec and, soon, India and Kenya.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition and fees: $43,400

Enrollment: 653

The all-boys school builds strong leadership skills by giving students the opportunity to lead one another as peer leaders in small group activities on campus and class trips.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Weston, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $43,500

Enrollment: 335

Students chart their own learning by picking from a 300+ course catalog. Most classes involve hands on learning in lab- or seminar-style settings.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Hightstown, New Jersey

Tuition and fees: $43,500

Enrollment: 549

Peddie often serves local, seasonal produce at mealtimes. Its Jersey location puts it right in the heart of the state's farm scene, which is reflected in menu options like fresh Jersey tomato bruschetta and seasonal fruit salad.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New York, NY

Tuition and fees: $43,500

Enrollment: 500

BWL recently rolled out a new STEM Initiative that will ready students for a 21st century job market. New electives classes in robotics, field trips, and guest speakers are being incorporated into the curriculum.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition and fees: $43,540

Enrollment: 500+

The Catholic school makes religious studies an integral part of the girls' education, but makes sure to broaden the religious curriculum to other world religions as well.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $43,650

Enrollment: 355

Founded by Henry Durant, who also founded Wellesley College, Dana Hall remains one of the most prestigious all-girls schools in the country. Girls from the class of 2014 went on to colleges all over the globe, from Rhode Island School of Design to Stanford to The American University of Paris.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Concord, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $43,680

Enrollment: 375

Day students make up about half the student body at CA. But they still have access to all the same resources as boarders, including late-night library hours and after-class extra help from teachers.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Kent, Connecticut

Tuition and fees: $43,775

Enrollment: 565

Kent has 25 different sports teams, including three co-ed teams, for 14 different sports. More than half the student body participates in blue and gray athletics.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Groton, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $43,707

Enrollment: 400

Lawrence Academy's Director of Technology, who also teaches math, decided to "flip" his classroom three years ago by taking a more technological approach to his teaching. He posts YouTube videos for students to watch as homework, freeing up more in-class time to discuss the content and make sure students can ask questions about the things they don't understand.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Groton, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $43,990

Enrollment: 370

Every Sixth Form (12th grade) student has the chance to be a prefect and lead a dorm of younger students, who benefit from the guidance and mentorship of their older schoolmates.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Bronx, New York

Tuition and fees: $44,405

Enrollment: 1,779

Horace Mann School owns 83 acres of land in Connecticut that serves as a nature center and laboratory. All students have the opportunity to go up there and study, whether through science class, art class, or overnight team-building trips.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Lakeville, Connecticut

Tuition and fees: $44,575

Enrollment: 600

Hotchkiss has a number of unique traditions that students love to celebrate. For example, the Bow Tie Bowl, a trivia contest founded during the tenure of bow tie-wearing Headmaster Robert A. Oden Jr., pins student/faculty teams against each other in a spirited, quiz bowl-type competition.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Bronx, New York

Tuition and fees: $44,600

Enrollment: 1,060

Riverdale is home to one of the first high school microloan groups in the country, Zawadi by Youth. The organization, which is completely student-run, holds fundraisers to lend small business loans to entrepreneurs in third-world countries.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: New York, New York

Tuition and fees: $45,600

Enrollment: 1,100

Dubbed "the best education money can buy" by The New York Times, Avenues, in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, opened in 2012 and provides an elite education while making parents partners in the process. The school plans to open 20 or more other Avenues campuses around the world where students can seamlessly transfer if, for example, their parents travel for work. Avenues plans to remain headquartered in New York.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $45,925

Enrollment: 457

BCDS partners with MIT in creating the NuVu Studio program, where MIT scholars use the MIT studio model style of learning to train BCDS students in technology and innovation studies.

Additional tuition refund insurance, billed at 0.9% of annual tuition, is mandatory.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Salisbury, Connecticut

Tuition and fees: $46,364

Enrollment: 310

The Episcopalian boys school has a tradition after a varsity team wins a game in which the red light (red is the school's color) in the Main Building’s cupola is lit so everyone can celebrate the victory.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

Location: Lawrenceville, New Jersey

Tuition and fees: $46,989

Enrollment: 246

At just under $47,000 a year (which includes the required tuition refund insurance at .85% of the tuition), The Lawrenceville School is, once again, the most expensive private school on our list.

But according to the school's website, the actual cost of a Lawrenceville education is $70,000 a year which, when you consider abroad trips to a choice of 13 different countries, the seminar-style Harkness teaching model, and sustainable dining services, means both students and parents are getting their moneys' worth.

Methodology: Rankings are based on tuition and fees for daytime-only students in grades 9 through 12 for the 2014-2015 school year. Boarding-only schools and special-needs high schools were not included.

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