Private School Review Blog

You have just paid $45,000 for a year's tuition and fees at St. Sedgewick's.

• You are all set, right? Not exactly.
• What happens if your child suddenly becomes sick before the end of the school year?
• What if circumstances beyond your control force you to withdraw her from school in March?
• What if he is expelled? In brief, you are obligated to pay the entire year's tuition and fees regardless of whether your child completes the year or not.

What Are My Options?

The only remedy you have is to sign up for the school's refund plan.

• It typically acts like insurance in the event that your child withdraws before the end of the year.
• The insurance plan will pay for the unused/remaining portion of your child's time at the school.
• You contracted to pay for an entire year when you signed the contract with the school at the time she was accepted.

You do not want to be out of pocket. Neither does the school.

• This is why tuition refund insurance is an important part of your planning for a private school education.
• Tuition refund policies are in place at every private school, regardless of whether it is day or boarding, large or small, elementary/nursery school, or high school.

St. Mary's School in Raleigh, North Carolina, has a policy that is the sort of thing you can expect at most schools:

"To minimize the loss to a family due to early departure or change in

This article has been updated to reflect 2026 data and recent developments.

A private school education is not cheap. It is a substantial financial sacrifice for many families. So why do parents willingly pay $30,000, $40,000 or more for something which public education provides free? Here are five reasons why you would do so. For current cost context, see Private School Review's Average Private School Tuition Cost in 2026.

1. Public education is not free.

We often forget that public schools are not free. You and I pay for public schools directly and indirectly through our property and other taxes. Public school facilities and properties are not taxable. As a result, they reduce the tax rolls of the municipality in which they are located. Attend a budget hearing for your local school district. Examine the financial statements. Then you will understand how and where your tax dollars are spent.

What kind of education are your public schools providing? Do the public schools offer the depth and breadth of academic programs you want and need for your child? What about sports programs and extracurricular activities? Have these been cut or substantially reduced because of budget cuts? Current national data from the National Endowment for the Arts provide a more recent look at access to and support for arts education in U.S. public schools, based on responses from more than 4,000 public K-12 schools in November 2024. It is pretty much the same story with

Over the past two decades, private schools have developed very generous financial aid programs.

• This has happened for a variety of reasons.
• But the most compelling reason is that private schools want to diversify their student bodies.
• They want to attract academically well-qualified applicants whose families cannot afford the enormous expense of sending their children to private schools.

Generous financial aid programs are one way of helping schools achieve that goal.

Here's how Exeter describes why it offers the very generous financial aid it does:

"Socioeconomic diversity has been a characteristic of Phillips Exeter Academy from our founding. It's built into our ethic—to attract and teach 'youth from every quarter'—and it's crucial to the nature of our community and our classrooms."

St. Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire, expresses its commitment to financial aid as follows:

"We are committed to making St. Paul’s an affordable option for families."

To honor this commitment, we will:

"Consider a household income of $80,000 per year or less as qualifying for full financial aid. Families with an annual income of less than $200,000 will not pay more than 10% of their income toward tuition per year."

Deerfield Academy explains its financial aid as follows:

“Deerfield’s commitment to affordability and access in the form of need-based financial aid is historic, deep, and central to its educational mission. It is founded on the idea—beautifully articulated over a century ago when Frank L.

Some states do not have their own private school associations. Schools band together across state lines forming regional associations. These associations have the same purpose as state and national associations which is promote private schools and to share latest and best practices. Also included are several associations in major metropolitan areas.

Associations

• Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington
• Association of Independent Schools of New England
• Cleveland Council of Independent Schools
• Fairchester Independent Schools
• Independent Schools Association of the Central States
• Independent Schools Association of Northern New England
• Independent Schools Association of the Southwest
• Long Island Association of Private Schools and Day Camps
• Los Angeles Area Schools
• New York Interschool
• Pacific Northwestern Association of Independent Schools
• Southern Association of Independent Schools
• Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools
• Western Boarding School Association

Most private schools belong to state associations. Besides the 'strength in numbers' which benefits them in state and local issues, schools learn from each other through seminars, workshops and conferences. State associations often provide listings of open houses and employment opportunities. Find out whether the schools in which you are interested belong.

Associations of Independent Schools

• Advancement for Delaware Valley Independent Schools
• Alabama Independent School Association
• Association of Colorado Independent Schools
• Association of Independent Maryland Schools
• Association of Independent Michigan Schools
• Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington
• California Association of Independent Schools
• Connecticut Association of Independent Schools
• Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools
• Florida Council of Independent Schools
• Georgia Independent School Association
• Hawaii Association of Independent Schools
• The Minnesota Independent School Forum
• New Jersey Association of Independent Schools
• New York State Association of Independent Schools
• North Carolina Association of Independent Schools
• North Carolina Christian Schools Association
• Ohio Association of Independent Schools
• Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools
• South Carolina Independent Schools Association
• Tennessee Association of Independent Schools
• Virginia Association of Independent Schools
• Washington Federation of Independent Schools