Is private school cheaper in Bellevue or Surprise?

Surprise has lower average private school tuition at $9,500/year vs $18,600/year in Bellevue. That's $9,100/year less, or $118,300 over a K-12 career.

How much can I save on private school by choosing Surprise over Bellevue?

Average tuition in Surprise is $9,100/year less than Bellevue. Over 13 years (K-12), that's $118,300 per child. Religious schools are the most affordable option in both cities: $12,700/year in Bellevue, $7,100/year in Surprise.

How do Bellevue and Surprise private school costs compare to the national average?

The national average private school tuition is $12,350/year. Bellevue averages $18,600/year ($6,250 above average). Surprise averages $9,500/year ($2,850 below average).

Private School Cost: Bellevue vs Surprise

Surprise averages $9,100/year less for private school (96% cheaper). Over K-12, that's $118,300 per child.

Bottom Line

Surprise is the cheaper city for private school. Average tuition: $9,500/year vs $18,600/year in Bellevue. Religious schools run $7,100/year on the low end.

Bellevue

$18,600

avg tuition/year

$6,250 above national avg

Surprise

$9,500

avg tuition/year

$2,850 below national avg

Lower cost

Tuition by School Type & Grade

Category	Bellevue	Surprise	Difference
All Schools (Average)	$18,600/yr	$9,500/yr	+$9,100
Religious Schools	$12,700/yr	$7,100/yr	+$5,600
Independent/Prep	$39,700/yr	$18,100/yr	+$21,600
Elementary (K-5)	$15,800/yr	$8,100/yr	+$7,700
Middle School (6-8)	$18,600/yr	$9,500/yr	+$9,100
High School (9-12)	$22,300/yr	$11,400/yr	+$10,900

K-12 Total Cost (13 Years)

Bellevue

$241,800

Surprise

$123,500

Choosing Surprise saves $118,300 per child over a full K-12 career. Two kids? That's $236,600.

Sample Schools

Bellevue

The Overlake School

Independent · 5–12 · $37,800/yr

Bellevue Christian School

Christian · PK–12 · $14,200/yr

Bellarmine Preparatory School (Tacoma)

Catholic · 9–12 · $18,400/yr

Surprise

Surprise Christian Academy

Christian · K–12 · $8,600-$10,800/yr

Holy Cross School (Surprise AZ)

Catholic · K–8 · $7,800-$9,600/yr

Full Bellevue breakdown → Full Surprise breakdown →

Washington private school costs Arizona private school costs

About This Comparison

This comparison uses NCES Private School Universe Survey data, adjusted for metro-level cost-of-living differences. "Average tuition" blends religious schools (Catholic, Christian) and independent day/prep schools. Religious schools typically cost 60-70% less than independent schools in the same city.

Grade-level estimates (elementary, middle, high) are derived from the city average using national grade-level multipliers. High school tuition typically runs 15-25% above the city average; elementary runs 10-20% below.