Here’s the Total Amount Parents Spend On Private School in Every State

Attending private school in the Northeast doesn’t usually conjure images of thriftiness and bargain-basement prices. Numbers from the Education Data Initiative for the Average Cost of Private Schools may help explain why.

Of the nine most expensive U.S. states for elementary and secondary private school costs, eight are located in the Northeast. The ninth Northeastern state (out of nine total, as defined by the Census Bureau) cracks the top 15.

Annual tuition for Northeastern elementary schools runs from about $11,000 to $23,000 on average, according to the study. The numbers for secondary schools are higher, at $16,000 to $41,000 each year.

Conversely, a year of private elementary school in Nebraska will run you only $4,400 on average with private secondary school in the Cornhusker State coming in around $9,000. The age, tradition and perceived prestige of many East Coast schools may explain the difference.

The number of students in U.S. private elementary and secondary schools has ranged between 5-6 million in recent years, about 10% of the student population.

Here’s a state-by-state look at the average tuition costs for private education. Specific numbers for elementary and secondary schools were not available for North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio and Wyoming, but average costs overall are included.

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $7,834
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $8,881
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $8,328

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $7,316
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $6,881
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $7,224

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $9,901
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $13,855
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $10,196

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $6,010
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $6,962
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $6,056

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $15,798
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $21,842
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $16,637

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $11,665
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $15,775
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $12,856

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $23,260
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $41,711
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $28,894

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $10,705
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $12,121
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $11,408

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $10,362
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $11,528
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $10,415

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $11,684
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $12,509
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $11,795

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $14,222
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $17,819
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $14,438

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $8,702
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $8,757
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $8,697

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $8,282
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $13,364
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $8,922

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $5,924
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $10,009
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $7,307

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $4,989
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $8,741
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $5,542

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $6,867
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $10,692
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $7,768

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $7,014
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $8,226
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $7,255

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $6,180
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $6,930
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $6,550

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $16,310
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $30,059
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $22,421

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $13,602
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $18,118
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $14,252

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $22,069
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $36,907
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $25,061

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $6,845
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $11,915
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $7,903

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $7,233
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $13,217
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $7,446

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $5,854
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $6,426
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $5,958

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $10,051
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $12,278
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $10,472

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $8,212
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $9,063
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $8,998

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $4,432
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $9,043
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $4,857

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $10,817
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $11,547
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $10,602

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $12,983
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $30,041
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $20,781

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $14,897
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $19,507
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $15,215

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $10,197
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $8,848
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $8,774

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $21,271
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $27,330
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $21,053

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $9,437
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $10,756
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $10,280

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: NA
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: NA
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $9,589

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: NA
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: NA
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $8,641

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $7,091
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $8,095
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $6,970

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $9,703
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $12,413
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $10,222

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $10,876
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $16,492
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $12,098

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $13,644
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $27,082
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $16,254

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $8,221
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $8,258
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $8,147

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: NA
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: NA
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $6,102

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $10,923
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $11,476
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $10,844

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $10,332
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $11,727
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $10,668

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $10,917
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $12,682
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $10,930

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $19,089
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $33,302
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $23,933

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $13,560
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $17,555
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $15,087

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $13,261
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $15,079
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $13,046

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $6,418
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $6,673
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $6,230

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: $4,470
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: $9,442
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $5,036

• Average annual tuition for private elementary school: NA
• Average annual tuition for private secondary school: NA
• Average annual tuition for all private schools: $5,486

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed the cost of private schools in each state to find the annual amount parents pay for their children to attend private schools. Using data from the Education Data Initiative for the Average Cost of Private Schools, GOBankingRates was able to show the most to least expensive state for private schools. North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio and Wyoming did not have accurate data for the elementary and secondary levels. All data was collected on and is up to date as of June 11, 2024.