NYC Private Schools
Tuition, grades, cutoff dates, and financial aid at NYC independent, Catholic, and nursery schools. The numbers nobody puts in one place.
According to adulting.nyc analysis, NYC private school tuition crossed the $70,000 mark in 2026 at top independent schools.(Bloomberg, 2026) That's more than most colleges. Below is every school we track with real pricing, grade ranges, and whether they offer financial aid. Updated each admissions cycle.
Birthday cutoff matters: most independent schools require age 5 by September 1 for K. Catholic/DOE schools use December 31. This single date determines your child's school year.
Independent Schools
Prestigious UES nursery. Beautiful facility. Strong transition support to ongoing schools.
All-boys through 9th grade. UES. Now has TK program (started 2025). Warm community feel.
Global school with campuses worldwide. Chelsea location. Tech-forward, progressive.
Progressive education pioneer. Connected to Bank Street College. Teacher training school.
At Barnard College. Toddler program that leaves families needing to find a 3s program afterward if child has a late birthday. Barnard helps with placement.
STEM-focused. Red Hook campus. Rigorous academics with liberal arts.
STEM-focused charter-like independent. Rigorous academics. Newer to NYC.
Progressive PreK-12 in Park Slope. Strong community. Arts and STEM.
PreK-12 on the UES. Smaller, more intimate than the big names. Singapore Math, strong reading program.
All-girls K-12 on the UES. Rigorous academics. Strong STEM program. Highly selective.
Nursery school in the Brick Church on Park Ave. Small, warm. Good exmissions.
British curriculum (GCSE, A-levels). International community. Midtown.
Quaker school in Downtown Brooklyn. Progressive, diverse. PreK through 12.
Montessori through 8th grade. Brooklyn Heights. Beautiful brownstone campus.
Waldorf education in Brooklyn. Arts-based, no screens. Gowanus.
All-boys K-12. Small school, strong community. UES. Known for personalized attention.
Tribeca location. Play-based nursery school.
West Village location. Play-based nursery school.
All-boys K-9 on the UES. Traditional academics with character emphasis.
Montessori-inspired. UES. Small classes. Nursery through 5th grade.
Progressive PreK-12 on the UWS. Project-based learning. Strong arts.
Episcopal school at Cathedral of St John the Divine. Beautiful campus.
All-girls K-12 on the UES. Traditional with strong community. Small classes.
Progressive school founded 1914. Learning through jobs and blocks program. Village location.
All-boys K-12. Oldest school in the US (founded 1628). UWS. Extremely competitive.
UWS PreK-12. Traditional with modern approach. Good college placement.
UWS nursery school.
IB World School PreK-12. UWS. International focus. Personalized learning.
Starts at age 3. UES. Good option for late birthdays who miss the September cutoff at other schools.
Progressive. Ethical Culture campus (K-5) in Manhattan, Fieldston (6-12) in Riverdale.
Quaker school K-12. Founded 1786. Gramercy Park. Emphasis on community and social justice.
British-influenced school on the UES. PreK through 8th.
Episcopal PreK-8. East Village. Beautiful campus. Strong arts and music.
Democratic, progressive school. Fort Greene. Parent cooperative model.
Jewish day school. UWS. Dual-language Hebrew/English. Progressive.
All-girls K-12. UES. Known for Mastery Transcript approach.
PreK-12 in Riverdale. Has both a nursery division on the UES and main campus in Riverdale. Long commute from most of Manhattan.
Parent reported starting at age 3. Multiple locations in Manhattan.
French/Spanish bilingual. Carroll Gardens. IB Primary Years Programme.
IB school in FiDi. PreK-12. International community. Boarding option for high school.
Progressive PreK-12. Village institution since 1921. Strong arts and social justice.
French bilingual school. UES. French Baccalaureate and American diploma options.
Progressive school in PLG. Nursery through 2nd grade. Diverse.
All-girls Catholic independent. UES. Combines independent school quality with Catholic values. STEM focus.
All-girls K-12. UES. Strong STEM and arts. Competitive admissions.
PreK-12 in Brooklyn Heights. Strong academics and arts. Beautiful campus.
French bilingual nursery in Brooklyn.
French bilingual nursery on the UES. Multiple NYC locations (also Brooklyn, LES). Very popular.
Bilingual Mandarin/English. FiDi. Growing school from nursery through elementary.
PreK-12 with beautiful campus in Bay Ridge. 25 acres. Strong athletics.
For young performers, athletes, models. Flexible scheduling. UWS.
Modern Orthodox Jewish day school. UES. Dual curriculum (Jewish and secular).
Therapeutic day school for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. DIR/Floortime model.
PreK-12 in Riverdale. Beautiful campus. Known for strong community and progressive education.
Reform Jewish day school. UWS. Progressive education with Jewish values.
Waldorf education. UES on 79th between 5th and Madison. Arts-integrated, no screens.
All-girls Catholic independent (Convent of the Sacred Heart). 91st Street mansion. Tradition meets academics.
No grades, no tests. Arts-focused, progressive. Brooklyn Heights. Unique philosophy.
On Columbia campus. Research-informed teaching. Diverse. Lab school feel.
French-language preschool in Boerum Hill.
All-girls K-12. One of the most expensive schools in NYC. Allocates $8.1M annually to financial aid.
For gifted learners. UWS. Small classes. Research-based gifted education.
All-boys K-9 on the UES. Traditional academics. Strong exmissions to top high schools.
All-boys PreK-8. UES. Strong community, character-focused. Good exmissions.
Episcopal PreK-8. Near Columbia. Diverse, warm community.
Episcopal PreK-8. Village location. Arts-strong. Progressive for a church school.
For students with learning differences. UWS. PreK-8. Highly regarded remediation.
Progressive K-12 on the UES. Known for the Dalton Plan (student-directed learning). Highly competitive admissions.
Progressive East Village school. PreK through 5th.
For children with learning differences. K-8. Highly specialized.
For gifted students with learning differences (twice-exceptional). UWS.
Montessori in Flatiron. AMI-affiliated. Infant through kindergarten.
Montessori in SoHo. AMI-affiliated.
Jewish day school for children with language-based learning disabilities. Unique niche.
UES nursery school. Art-focused curriculum.
East Village nursery school. Community-focused, progressive.
PreK-8 on the UES. Progressive. Small classes. Strong parent community.
PreK-12. UES (lower) and UWS (upper). Progressive. Good balance of academics and wellbeing.
One of the oldest and most prestigious schools in NYC. Consistently ranked #1 nationally. UWS location.
United Nations International School. Multilingual. IB programme. Global community.
Progressive PreK-8. Village. Small, warm, community-driven. Strong arts.
Montessori UWS. Nursery through 3rd grade. AMS-accredited.
UWS. Grades 6-12. College prep. Known for supporting different learning styles.
Catholic Schools
Catholic schools offer strong education at a fraction of independent school cost. Birthday cutoff is typically December 31 (same as DOE), giving late-birthday kids an extra option.
All-girls Catholic high school. UES. Founded by Dominican Sisters.
Jesuit all-boys high school on Fordham campus. Strong academics and athletics.
Jesuit Catholic K-8. Traditional, by-the-book education. No PA. Director described as tough but effective.
All-boys Jesuit high school. FREE tuition (endowment funded). Exam-based admission. UES. One of the most selective schools in NYC.
Catholic PreK-8. Parents report daughter started at just-turned-3. Cutoff is end of year, so late birthdays welcome. Warm, good community.
Catholic PreK-8 on the UES. Progressive for a Catholic school. Strong community. Good value compared to independents.
Jesuit all-boys high school. Chelsea. Strong academics, athletics, service.
The real cost of private school in NYC
Tuition is just the start. Here's what parents actually spend per year at a top independent school:
Over K-12 (13 years): $880,000 to $1.2M per child. As one parent in our community put it: "If you put $70K/year into ETFs instead, you could give your kid $5M at age 30."(Parent community, 2026)
We'll email you when application windows open and close, plus tips on financial aid deadlines.