Boarding School Cost Calculator

Boarding School Cost: What You're Actually Paying For

Boarding school sticker prices look alarming at first pass. Phillips Exeter: $67,850. Andover: $67,125. Choate Rosemary Hall: $68,360. Those aren't outliers — that's what elite boarding schools cost in 2025. The all-in figure (tuition, room, board, fees) at selective independent boarding schools runs $52,000–$65,000/year at most.

The number that matters more: what you actually pay after financial aid. The elite schools have enormous endowments. Exeter's financial aid budget covers families earning up to $200,000 in some cases, with need-blind admissions. A family earning $75,000 might pay $10,000–$20,000 total at a school charging $65,000 sticker. That's not the norm, but it happens. Always apply for aid before assuming you can't afford a school.

Room and board is the line item most families underestimate. It's not a modest add-on — it runs $12,000–$18,000 per year on top of tuition. That's the dorm, all meals in the dining hall, and campus health services. Some schools break it out explicitly on their fee schedule; others bundle it into a single "comprehensive fee." Either way, it's built into the $55,000–$65,000 range.

Day students at boarding schools pay substantially less. Most boarding schools admit a mix of boarders and day students. Day tuition is typically 30–40% lower because it excludes room and board. At a school charging $65,000 for boarders, day tuition might be $42,000–$48,000. Still expensive, but a real difference over four years.

The fees that catch families off guard: flights home. Boarding school students typically travel home 4–6 times per year — Thanksgiving, winter break, spring break, and long weekends. If you're flying cross-country or internationally, add $3,000–$8,000 per year. That cost is almost never mentioned in the admissions materials.

Catholic and religious boarding schools are the affordable tier. Schools like Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas or Salesianum in Delaware charge $22,000–$35,000/year all-in. The curriculum is rigorous; the cost is roughly half of elite secular schools. If a family's goal is the boarding school experience — independence, structure, focused academics — without the prep-school price tag, religious boarding schools deserve serious consideration.

Military boarding schools (Valley Forge, New Mexico Military, Fishburne) occupy a different niche. All-in costs run $32,000–$48,000/year. They're academically competitive and produce strong college admission results. ROTC scholarships and federal tuition assistance programs can reduce costs further for families with military connections.