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The 50 most expensive boarding schools in America
Location: Wallingford, Connecticut
Total cost: $55,621
Enrollment: 850
Choate celebrated its 125th anniversary this year with the dedication of a new mathematics and computer-science building that's LEED-Gold certified. The building is home to the i.d. Lab — a facility equipped with technology and tools to help students foster creative thinking and innovation.
Location: Bethel, Maine
Total cost: $55,700
Enrollment: 240
The school's website says that northern winters are a cherished tradition. Gould Academy makes use of its close proximity to New England's premier ski resorts and mountains by offering students a number of competitive and non-competitive winter sports including alpine skiing and snowboarding.
Location: Ojai, California
Total cost: $55,800
Enrollment: 260
The Catholic institution's culture and curriculum is based on the biblical teachings of Saint Augustine: community, truth, and love. It's part of a network of Augustinian schools and universities in 38 countries.
Location: Ashburnham, Massachusetts
Total cost: $55,850
Enrollment: 400
This year, Cushing celebrated its 150th anniversary — it's one of the oldest co-ed boarding schools in the US.
Students have the opportunity to become Cushing Scholars, where guest speakers, small-group discussions, and off-campus events drive dialogue about current and global issues.
Location: Byfield, Massachusetts
Total cost: $55,900
Enrollment: 400
The Governor's Academy says on its website that it's the oldest continuously operating boarding school in the US, founded well before the constitution was created. Despite its 250-year operation, the school harbors a commitment to modern innovation, especially making use of its seaside location for environmental research.
Location: New Hampton, New Hampshire
Total cost: $55,900
Enrollment: 305
Students searching for hands-on learning will find a home at The New Hampton School. NHS's flagship program, Project Week, is a student-faculty collaboration where project proposals for service, cultural, and academic projects are carried out in the spring every year. Project proposals for the 2015-2016 year range from on-campus electric go-kart building to a trip to Greece to study the recent bank crisis.
Location: Wilbraham, Massachusetts
Total cost: $55,975
Enrollment: 455
Students are leaders at Wilbraham & Monson Academy. "Family meals" offer a chance for students to mingle with their dorms and take turns acting as wait staff for each other. Students also have leadership roles in the dorms where they serve as role models for their peers.
Location: Tilton, New Hampshire
Total cost: $56,000
Enrollment: 240
Tilton School shapes its curriculum using Understanding by Design. The method first determines learning goals for students, then works backwards to establish lessons and assessments for achieving those understandings. Some lessons Tilton School aims to teach: "Everyone thinks; successful people think well," "Think globally, act locally," and "Work hard, play fair, have fun."
Location: Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Total cost: $56,130
Enrollment: 350
This Roman Catholic school boasts 1.24 miles of coastline and has 42 athletic teams, 26 of which are varsity sports teams like co-ed sailing. Portsmouth Abbey is also home to a fully-operational, on-campus monastery led by a community of Benedictine monks.
Location: Sheffield, Massachusetts
Total cost: $56,150
Enrollment: 405
Berkshire's commitment to artistic excellence is evident at The Gallery — a modern exhibition space located in the school's new fine-arts center that displays a wide range of art by students, alumni, and friends of Berkshire School.
Location: McLean, Virginia
Total cost: $56,191
Enrollment: 309
Madeira's proximity to Washington, DC, provides its all-girl student body with rewarding internship opportunities — including a stint on Capitol Hill — as well as fun shopping trips in Georgetown and the ability to take advantage of DC's many free museums.
Location: Easthampton, Massachusetts
Total cost: $56,200
Enrollment: 530
The Williston Northampton School is very generous with financial aid and scholarships, including merit-based scholarships for legacy applicants. Last year, 41 students had parents or grandparents who attended Williston Academy, Northampton School for Girls and Williston Northampton.
Location: Winchendon, Massachusetts
Total cost: $56,200
Enrollment: 250
The Winchendon School, or "Winch" as it's known among students, seeks to discover students who are innovators, entrepreneurs, adventurers, and creators through DoI&T – the Do Innovation and Transformation program. Students are encouraged to take their interests and studies outside of the classroom to engage in independent study projects and internships in a wide range of interests from photography to farming.
Location: Bethlehem, New Hampshire
Total cost: $56,250
Enrollment: 115
The White Mountain School's rugged, New Hampshire location lends itself perfectly to the school's Sustainability Studies course, which gets students out of the classroom and into the environment they're studying. Last year, the school installed a 44-kW solar array on campus.
Location: Plymouth, New Hampshire
Total cost: $56,250
Enrollment: 280
Holderness turns into a creative art colony every March for tenth graders during Artward Bound, where aspiring artists work with and learn from professional artists-in-residence in multiple media. The ten-day event includes exploration in improvisational theater, mural painting, ceramics, papermaking, and African drumming, among other art forms.
Location: Newtown, Pennsylvania
Total cost: $56,350
Enrollment: 540
With 240 acres of woods and lawns, George School, a Quaker institution, describes itself as the ultimate place to be yourself, discover new worlds, and help others.
The school recently unveiled its new Fitness and Athletics Center in time for the 2014-2015 sports season. The 100,000-square-foot facility includes a fully-equipped fitness center, eight-lane pool, yoga studio, and a training room with hydrotherapy and daily treatment areas.
Location: Portland, Oregon
Total cost: $56,400
Enrollment: 850
OES's Aardvark Science Exposition is an annual science, engineering, computer science, and math research competition open to all students in seventh to 12th grades. Three finalists from the competition are sent to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair — the world's largest international pre-college science competition. This year, more than a dozen OES students received Grand Award prizes of $500 to $1,000.
Location: Simsbury, Connecticut
Total cost: $56,450
Enrollment: 254
Walker's all-girl student body has full access to an acclaimed equestrian program that's been an integral part of school culture for over a century. An equestrian center and barn shelters 79 horses and includes two riding rings (indoor and outdoor) and four track rooms in addition to Walker's 300-acre campus of winding trails.
Location: San Anselmo, California
Total cost: $56,530
Enrollment: 618
This Catholic boarding school has an immersive Virtuoso Program for string instrument musicians who want a musical education as rigorous as their academic one. Students enrolled in the program have been accepted to top music schools including Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music.
Location: Claremont, California
Total cost: $56,685
Enrollment: 408
The Webb Schools — consisting of the all-boys Webb School of California and the all-girls Vivian Webb School — have a fully accredited museum of paleontology right on campus. Every Webb student spends a weekend on a real dig site to learn how field scientists work and to help discover new artifacts. According to the school's website, 95% of the museum's 140,000 specimen were found by Webb students, teachers, and alumni.
Location: Pottersville, New Jersey
Total cost: $56,835
Enrollment: 70
Purnell's total cost drops off significantly after freshman year, once students have paid a $4,800 fee that covers "the demystification process" and appointments to assess the girls' strengths and set academic goals.
This year Purnell celebrates 50 years with more than 1,300 alumnae around the world.
Location: Deerfield, Massachusetts
Total cost: $57,040
Enrollment: 636
Yale, Georgetown, Dartmouth, Harvard, and the University of Virginia are the most attended colleges by Deerfield alumni in the last 13 years. To help students get there, Deerfield provides 35% of its student body with $8 million in financial aid annually.
"The Deerfield Experience"– the balance of academics, co-curriculars, and residential activities – is the key to opportunity and success at Deerfield Academy.
Location: Simsbury, Connecticut
Total cost: $57,110
Enrollment: 393
Performing arts has long been an integral part of the Westminster experience. At the center of campus is the state-of-the-art Werner Centennial Center, where dramatic theater, dance, and music performances are held.
Location: Windsor, Connecticut
Total cost: $57,135
Enrollment: 675
Every year Loomis Chaffee designs events around an all-school theme. Last year the theme was "Memories" in honor of the school's centennial celebration. Students welcomed guest speakers, read books, and participated in community service related to the theme.
Location: Pomfret, Connecticut
Total cost: $57,220
Enrollment: 350
At Pomfret, TELL stands for Teach, Engage, Listen, and Learn. All students participate in the TELL program — a series of 14 workshops throughout each year that cover topics such as sexuality, mindfulness and meditation, and diversity.
Location: Sandy Spring, Maryland
Total cost: $57,295
Enrollment: 570
Athletics and outdoor learning are an important part of an SSFS education. Students have the opportunity to go hiking, trail running, rock climbing, or take a first responder course at this Quaker-affiliated school.
Location: Granby, Massachusetts
Total cost: $57,300
Enrollment: 266*
MacDuffie implemented the BYOD (bring your own device) initiative last year, encouraging students and parents to take advantage of technology available for students through Google Apps.
The school's commitment to technology adds to their mission as a rigorous preparatory school that prepares students for college and beyond in the 21st century.
*2014-2015 enrollment
Location: North Andover, Massachusetts
Total cost: $57,335
Enrollment: 380
The Exchange Program at Brooks School provides enrolled students the opportunity to spend four or five weeks abroad in places like Hungary, Botswana, Scotland, Spain, Peru, and France.
Location: Millbrook, New York
Total cost: $57,375
Enrollment: 293
Millbrook students have full access to the Trevor Zoo — a six-acre wildlife park located right on campus that houses over 180 exotic and indigenous animals. Environmental-science courses use the Trevor Zoo for field activity and sustainability studies.
Location: Concord, Massachusetts
Total cost: $57,385
Enrollment: 375
In the last five years, at least 10 students matriculated into top schools each year, including Columbia, Harvard, NYU, the University of Chicago, and Vanderbilt. Notable Middlesex alumni include actor Steve Carrell and founder of Instagram Kevin Systrom.
Location: Natick, Massachusetts
Total cost: $57,480
Enrollment: 283
On top of a typical high school course load, students at Walnut Hill major in one of five artistic disciplines: dance, music, theater, and visual arts (writing, film, and media arts).
Location: Groton, Massachusetts
Total cost: $57,500*
Enrollment: 381
What started as a nightly ritual between the Rector and students has became a Groton School tradition: handshaking. Over 100 years later, students end each day by shaking the hands of their dorm heads to build a sense of community.
A number of notable alumni attended Groton School, an Episcopal-affiliated school, including four generations of the Roosevelt family.
*2014-2015 tuition
Location: Salisbury, Connecticut
Total cost: $57,600
Enrollment: 310
In addition to a rich tradition of athletic competition, the all-boys Salisbury School also teaches its student body the importance of the arts. Disciplines expand the visual arts to include boatbuilding and woodworking.
Location: Bethesda, Maryland
Total cost: $57,670
Enrollment: 490
The only Jesuit boarding school in the country teaches its students through a holistic curriculum. In addition to a typical course load, each Georgetown Prep boy completes at least two years of Latin, four years of religion, and a Christian service-hours requirement by the time they graduate.
Location: Troy, New York
Total cost: $57,696
Enrollment: 346
In 1814, Emma Hart Willard opened the doors to her Middlebury, Vermont, home and transformed it into a school. Now located in upstate New York, Emma Willard School threw its bicentennial bash last year, celebrating a 200-year-old legacy of excellence in girls' education. The school recently launched the Emma in 2020 initiative as a future commitment to "deep personalization, authentic culture, and distinctive worldview."
Location: Worcester, Massachusetts
Total cost: $57,881
Enrollment: 650
The camaraderie in the classroom extends to the courts, fields, and pools at Worcester Academy, where there are over 50 teams and 17 different sports available. Nearly 60% of students participate in the athletic program.
Location: Kent, Connecticut
Total cost: $58,155
Enrollment: 570
Kent School prides itself on a host of traditions, including Rock Day, when fifth formers (aka 11th-graders) climb a mountain to paint their graduation year on a huge rock. The campus is situated on 1,200 acres between the Appalachian trail and the Housatonic River and boasts 10 miles of hiking and biking trails.
Location: Weston, Massachusetts
Total cost: $58,350
Enrollment: 335
Modeled after the traditional New England style of democratic self-governance, Cambridge School of Weston hosts "town meetings" as a central forum of debate and a place for students to vote on important issues. A student is elected by the student body to preside over meetings.
Location: Newport, Rhode Island
Total cost: $58,500
Enrollment: 370
Every semester the seaside Episcopal school sends students on one leg of a transatlantic voyage in a 69-foot marine research vessel called Geronimo, where they get a firsthand education in marine biology. Within the next two years, the ship will travel in a grand loop around the Mediterranean and back up to the East Coast by way of the Canary Islands and Puerto Rico with a rotation of students onboard.
Location: Idyllwild-Pine Cove, California
Total cost: $58,550
Enrollment: 308
Through its commitment to provide an excellent arts education to students from all walks of life, Idyllwild Arts Academy awards financial aid to 60% of students. A new program available to junior and senior students also provides grants for master classes and career education.
Location: Groton, Massachusetts
Total cost: $58,780
Enrollment: 403
As one of many efforts at Lawrence Academy to broaden students' horizons, the Cultural Coffeehouse Series promotes the sharing of views and life experiences through dialogues and guest speakers from near and far.
Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts
Total cost: $58,780
Enrollment: 351
This all-girls school prepares its students for the real world with the Girls Summer Entrepreneurship Program, a hands-on experience in the evolving business world. Participants develop and present a business plan, learn financial and marketing basics, and strengthen their problem-solving skills under the mentorship of business educators and professionals.
Location: Mt. Hermon, Massachusetts
Total cost: $59,095
Enrollment: 650
With a student-teacher ratio of 7-to-1 and over 180 academic courses to choose from, Northfield Mount Hermon School students can bet on a personalized education. A network of adults called the Partnership of 12 (which includes parents, advisors, teachers, coaches, and work supervisors) works together to ensure every student's needs are met.
Location: Dobbs Ferry, New York
Total cost: $59,110
Enrollment: 475
Located on 96 majestic acres 30 minutes outside New York City, The Masters School attracts students from 16 states and 31 countries. An international cultural experience is a central part of a Masters education.
Location: Washington, DC
Total cost: $59,770
Enrollment: 575
Over the past five years, the universities that enrolled the most St. Albans School boys were Harvard, Yale, College of William and Mary, Georgetown University, and University of Michigan — evidence of the Bulldogs' premier education.
Location: Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Total cost: $60,170
Enrollment: 816
The Lawrenceville School has adopted a "Green Campus Initiative" to focus on campus energy, materials, land, and water use. Three years ago, a nearly 25,000 panel, 30-acre solar farm was installed near campus.
Location: Westbrook, Connecticut
Total cost: $60,175
Enrollment: 48
The crux of the all-boys school's unusually small enrollment is the Oxford Method – individualized courses, structured study time, and frequent feedback for students.
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Total cost: $60,800
Enrollment: 200
A forward-looking institution, Brandon Hall partners with Naviance, a college and career readiness platform, to aide students on the road to college admissions. This partnership ensures that its students go on to attend some of the nation's top colleges.
Location: Portola Valley, California
Total cost: $61,665
Enrollment: 350
Founded over 50 years ago by a group of Benedictine monks fleeing communism in post-war Hungary, Woodside Priory School promotes personal and academic growth based on its Benedictine values: individuality, community, hospitality, integrity, and spirituality.
Location: Pebble Beach, California
Total cost: $62,650
Enrollment: 520
Students at the Pebble Beach campus have access to an outdoor education like no other. Stevenson School organizes weekend trips to Joshua Tree, rock climbing, mountaineering, sea kayaking, and an extensive ropes course.
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