Boarding School Cost: Tuition, Fees & Total Price

A boarding school charges for more than classes. The price covers a bed, meals, evening and weekend supervision and a campus life program, which is why the sticker price is far higher than most day-school tuition. Schools also differ in how many nights a week students stay on campus.

This guide separates the main price tiers, compares published 2026-27 rates at three well-known schools, and lists the extra costs that rarely appear in the headline tuition figure. Rates are annual and are quoted before any financial aid.

Published averages split by how many nights students board. Five-day boarding, where students go home on weekends, costs less than seven-day boarding. Schools at the top of the market charge more than either.

Five-day boarding averages about $55,000 a year in the figures above, and seven-day boarding averages about $69,000. Elite boarding schools commonly charge $75,000 – $80,000. These averages come from a boarding school directory, so they reflect the schools it lists rather than every school in the country.

Averages hide the real choices families face, so it helps to look at actual price sheets. The three schools below publish their 2026-27 boarding tuition. They are well-known, high-priced schools and sit at the upper end of the market.

St. George's School in Rhode Island lists $79,900, Phillips Academy Andover in Massachusetts lists $79,800, and Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut lists $73,530. A school's own page is the best place to confirm the current rate, because tuition is usually reset each year.

Boarding versus day tuition

Most of these schools also enroll day students, who pay tuition without the room and board component. The day rate is still high at selective schools.

Day tuition is $55,470 at St. George's, $56,610 at Choate and $63,840 at Andover. The gap between a boarder and a day student at the same school shows roughly how much the residential part of the program adds. At Andover, for example, it is the difference between $79,800 and $63,840.

Two published sources give different pictures of the same market.

The directory range is $60,000 – $80,000, while the Education Data Initiative reports an average of $76,008 for tuition plus room and board among the country's private boarding schools. The second figure may rest on older school data than the 2026 directory numbers, and it combines tuition with room and board, so the two are not measuring exactly the same thing. Treat both as a guide to the order of magnitude, not a quote.

Things that move the price:

• Seven-day versus five-day boarding. Fewer nights on campus lowers the bill.
• School tier. Selective schools with large endowments often set higher sticker prices, though they may also offer substantial aid.
• Region. The three schools above are in New England; schools in other regions may price differently.
• Grade level and program. Some schools charge differently for younger students or for specialized programs.

Tuition is the biggest line, but it is rarely the whole bill. Families commonly face extra charges, and a few are worth asking about before applying:

• a technology or general fee, which Choate lists separately from tuition
• health services and insurance
• books, supplies and course materials
• travel home, especially for international students or families far from campus
• sports equipment, music lessons and trips
• spending money and personal items

These add-ons can raise the real cost noticeably, and the amount varies by school. Ask the admissions office for a full estimate of a typical year, not just the tuition line.

Many boarding schools offer need-based aid funded by their own endowments, and some publish the share of students who receive it. Schools usually require a financial aid application through a third-party service or their own forms. Deadlines can fall at about the same time as admission deadlines, so ask early.

Federal student aid generally applies to college, not to K-12 private schools, so do not expect FAFSA to help here. Schools often offer monthly or semester payment plans and may use tuition loans from private lenders. Compare interest and fees carefully, and consider speaking with a licensed financial advisor before borrowing.

1. Is the quoted tuition for five-day or seven-day boarding?
2. What fees are billed on top of tuition?
3. How does the school set aid, and does a first-year award renew automatically?
4. What happens to tuition if my child leaves mid-year?
5. What is the typical total for a family in my situation, including travel?

Visit the school's own website for current rates, and compare more than one school on the same basis.