69传媒

School Choice & Charters

Tuition at Independent 69传媒 Continues to Rise

By Mary Ann Zehr 鈥 October 01, 2004 4 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Several of the nation鈥檚 most elite private schools have started charging a whopping $25,000 or more per child this school year.

And while such prices can cause sticker shock, the schools haven鈥檛 seen any decreased demand for their services.

This year鈥檚 K-12 tuition increases continue a trend started in the late 1980s, when independent schools, on average, began raising annual tuition rates beyond the rate of inflation, according to data collected by the National Association of Independent 69传媒.

For the past 10 years, independent private schools have raised tuition by 3 or 4 percentage points above inflation each year, according to the group, whose data do not cover tuition for parochial schools.

鈥淭here is much more demand from our customer base for more offerings, more teachers, more programs, more counselors, more teachers鈥 aides,鈥 said Patrick F. Bassett, the president of the Washington-based NAIS. 鈥淪ince the market has dictated that people are willing to pay for it, our schools are responding.鈥

He said that the competition to get into independent schools seems to be the greatest in the nation鈥檚 cities: Rural and suburban independent schools tend to struggle to keep their enrollment bases if they increase tuition dramatically.

Officials at independent schools say the tuition hikes reflect the cost of doing business. They cite the need for new buildings, the cost of educational technology, and the accelerating cost of insurance, particularly health insurance for faculty and staff members.

Private schools in the Northeast are not the only ones dramatically increasing their charges. Two years ago, this school began a plan to increase tuition by about $2,000 a year for four years in a row.
Year 2003-04 2004-05
Tuition $17,200 $19,500

69传媒 charging at least $25,000 in tuition for day students include Miss Porter鈥檚 School in Farmington, Conn.; the Horace Mann School in Riverdale, N.Y.; and the Brearley School in New York City, where tuition includes all fees.

By comparison, tuition for a year at Harvard University is $27,448.

The Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Mass., and the Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., each charges more than $24,000 a year for day students. And schools with tuition between $20,000 and $24,000 include the Collegiate School in New York as well as Sidwell Friends School and St. Alban鈥檚 School in Washington.

Pay and Benefits

A tuition increase from $24,325 last fall to $25,885 this school year is expected to pay for some program improvements as well as upgrades in staff benefits at Miss Porter鈥檚 School, said Mara Braverman, the school鈥檚 director of communications.

For instance, the school decided to pick up the cost of short-term-disability insurance for faculty members and double the amount of money that the school allots each employee for continuing education each year, she said. She noted that Miss Porter鈥檚, which counts the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis as an alumna, is also spending more on its student leadership program.

Mike Saxenian, the chief financial officer for Sidwell Friends, which enrolled Chelsea Clinton in the 1990s, said that increased housing costs in the Washington area have pushed up faculty salaries. He said increased tuition reflects those raises as well as the cost of educational technology.

Sidwell Friends has increased tuition by 7.2 percent in the lower school, to $21,415, and 6.9 percent in the middle and upper schools, to $22,415, since last year. Still, demand for the school remains high. The school receives about five applications for every opening, according to Mr. Saxenian.

鈥淲e believe we could charge more, and we鈥檙e electing not to鈥攖he reason is we want to encourage as much economic diversity as we can within our student body,鈥 he said.

Feeling the Squeeze

All of the schools that raised tuition report that they also increased the pool of money available for financial aid. Nationally, 16.7 percent of students at independent schools receive need-based financial aid, according to the NAIS, which has a membership of 1,200 schools.

Lisa Moreira, the director of admissions for Horace Mann, which raised tuition by 6.5 percent鈥攖o $26,100鈥攆rom last school year, said that because her school鈥檚 financial aid focuses on the neediest families, tuition increases are harder for middle-income families.

鈥淲e have a concern about attracting middle-income families,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey feel the squeeze.鈥

Though tuition at independent schools in the Northeast tend to be the highest nationally, the prices are rising elsewhere.

Two years ago, for instance, the school board of the Bishop鈥檚 School in La Jolla, Calif., voted to raise tuition by about $2,000 each year for four years in a row.

鈥淚t was so that we would be more appropriately charging what it costs to educate a child, rather than relying on fund raising,鈥 said Suzanne Weiner, the school鈥檚 marketing director. This school year, tuition is $19,500, a 13.4 percent increase over last year.

In 2003-04, according to the most recent NAIS data, the tuition for day students at independent schools ranged from $4,650 to $26,250. The median tuition was $12,770 for 1st grade and $16,528 for 12th grade.

Related Tags:

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar
Don鈥檛 Count Them Out: Dyscalculia Support from PreK-Career
Join Dr. Elliott and Dr. Wall as they empower educators to support students with dyscalculia to envision successful careers and leadership roles.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
Improve School Culture and Engage 69传媒: Archery鈥檚 Critical Role in Education
Changing lives one arrow at a time. Find out why administrators and principals are raving about archery in their schools.
Content provided by 
School Climate & Safety Webinar Engaging Every Student: How to Address Absenteeism and Build Belonging
Gain valuable insights and practical solutions to address absenteeism and build a more welcoming and supportive school environment.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

School Choice & Charters Opinion Teachers Might Embrace Private School Choice. Here's Why
School choice is often discussed in terms of student impact. But what's in it for teachers?
10 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
School Choice & Charters Private School Choice Will Keep Expanding in 2025. Here's Where and How
The conditions are ripe in at least a dozen states for proposals to invest public dollars in private educational options for families.
12 min read
budget school funding
iStock/Getty
School Choice & Charters Trump Wants to Expand Private School Choice. Does the Public Agree?
Both fans and opponents of private school choice argue that public sentiment is on their side.
4 min read
Artistic image of multiple paths leading to a school building.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva
School Choice & Charters Voters Rejected Private School Choice. A Trump Administration May Push It Anyway
Pro-school choice initiatives failed in Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska.
6 min read
Photo illustration of school building and check boxes.
Education Week + Getty