The Spear’s Schools Index 2025 shines a light on the 100 best schools in the world. But often, a high quality education comes at a price – as the most expensive schools in America prove.
These five schools, all featured in the Best North American Private Schools Index 2025, charge more than $60,000 per year.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of these schools are located in New York City.
In cases where there is a range of fees, the most expensive has been used. The difference between boarding and day fees is indicated where appropriate.
What are the most expensive schools in America?
Léman Manhattan Preparatory School, New York: $98, 000 (boarding), $42, 000–$68, 600 (day)
Located in the heart of New York City, Léman Manhattan offers students aged 12 months to 18 years a uniquely urban and dynamic education.
Founded in 2005 with the goal of educating children in Lower Manhattan, the school has now grown to represent students from 70 nationalities among its 700-plus students.
The school offers the IB programme alongside the option of SATs and ACTs; students in the high school are given lessons set at a university level, and extracurriculars are highly encouraged. It is no surprise then that Léman graduates matriculate at some of the world’s top universities, including Harvard and Yale.
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Read Léman Manhattan Preparatory School’s full profile on Spears500.com
The Taft School, Connecticut: $75, 300 (boarding), $55, 500 (day)
The Taft School’s motto, Non ut sibi ministretur sed ut ministret, (Not to be served, but to serve), crafted by the school’s founder, Horace Dutton Taft, 125 years ago, continues to shape the school and its ethos.
The vast majority of the school’s student body are boarding pupils, in line with the founder’s belief that ‘a great advantage of boarding school is that it gives opportunities for students to get out of themselves’.
Set in a beautiful 226-acre campus in western Connecticut, the school’s facilities are state-of-the-art. They include a vast library, a 45,000-square-foot science and maths building, two theatres, two ice hockey rinks and an 18-hole golf course.
Read The Taft School’s full profile on Spears500.com
Trinity School, New York: $66, 700 (day)
Set on New York’s Upper West Side, Trinity School has a long-established history stretching back to the 1700s.
Originally founded with the intention to help children in the city living in poverty, the school maintains a strong sense of community and holds mutual caretaking as its core ethos.
Its definition of a world-class education encapsulates ‘rigorous academics’ twinned with ‘outstanding programs’ in athletics and the arts, as well as a strong focus on the importance of giving back to the wider community.
Read Trinity School’s full profile on Spears500.com
Collegiate School, New York: $65, 900 (day)
New York City’s Collegiate School for boys is ‘old, yet not old-fashioned’, and constantly refreshes its kindergarten through 12th-grade curriculum while holding on to a strong sense of the past.
With a core ethos of respect, kindness and integrity, Collegiate aims to create a safe and nurturing environment for its students to achieve both personal and academic excellence.
Students of the school are quick to gain a sense that they are part of something bigger than themselves; younger students learn to have fun while learning, while those in the upper school explore different subjects, topics and ways of thinking. All have access to a variety of after-school programmes, clubs and sports.
Read Collegiate School’s full profile on Spears500.com
