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

J. David Herman

19 June 2024 at 7:01 am·10-min read

Kuzmichstudio / Getty Images/iStockphoto

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.

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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.

Alabama

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

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Alaska

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

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Arizona

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

Arkansas

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

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California

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

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Colorado

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

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Connecticut

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

Delaware

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

Florida

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

Georgia

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

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Hawaii

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

Idaho

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

Illinois

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

Indiana

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

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Iowa

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

Kansas

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

Kentucky

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

Louisiana

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

Maine

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

Maryland

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

Massachusetts

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

Michigan

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

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Minnesota

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

Mississippi

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

Missouri

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

Montana

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

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Nebraska

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

Nevada

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

New Hampshire

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

New Jersey

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

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New Mexico

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

New York

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

North Carolina

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

North Dakota

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

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Ohio

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

Oklahoma

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

Oregon

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

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Pennsylvania

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

Rhode Island

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

South Carolina

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

South Dakota

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

Tennessee

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

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Texas

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

Utah

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

Vermont

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

Virginia

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

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Washington

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

West Virginia

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

Wisconsin

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

Wyoming

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.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Here’s the Total Amount Parents Spend On Private School in Every State

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