New York City private school tuition has soared past $70,000 per year \u2013 as institutions nod to a sky-high cost of living and the need to ramp up financial aid offerings, according to a report.<\/p>\n
At least seven NYC schools \u2013 including Spence School, Dalton School and Nightingale-Bamford School on Manhattan\u2019s Upper East Side \u2013 charged more than $70,000 in tuition for the 2026-27 year, according to a Bloomberg analysis of school disclosures<\/a>.<\/p>\n Avenues in Chelsea location topped the list, with eye-watering tuition of $75,300 \u2013 up $3,000 from 2025-26 and more expensive than many elite colleges, according to the report.<\/p>\n The Dalton School (above) is one of at least seven NYC schools that charged more than $70,000 in tuition, according to the report. Helayne Seidman<\/p>\n Tuition fees at 15 private city schools jumped a median of 4.7% \u2013 outpacing the New York metro area\u2019s 3.4% inflation rate<\/a> as of December and national inflation figures<\/a>, according to the most recently available government data.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a sharp increase from a median NYC tuition of $39,900 in 2014 \u2013 but schools have argued the rising fees are necessary to cover higher costs, particularly teacher salaries, and offer more financial aid to struggling families.<\/p>\n Eye-popping tuition costs are squeezing even the Big Apple\u2019s highest earners, but for some families, \u201cthe numbers are what the numbers are, and they\u2019re looking for a stellar education for their children and they\u2019re willing to pay what\u2019s necessary to secure that experience,\u201d Barbara Scott, executive director of nonprofit Parents League of New York, told Bloomberg.<\/p>\n That\u2019s especially true for New York families fearful of changes coming to the city\u2019s public school system following the election of socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, according to Emily Glickman, who runs Abacus Guide Educational Consulting.<\/p>\n The Mamdani administration has assumed control of New York City\u2019s $43 billion school system, including 150,000 staffers and nearly 900,000 students \u2013 facing worsening challenges like chronic absenteeism, dismal reading and math scores and falling enrollment.<\/p>\n Glickman told Bloomberg she has noticed more families looking into private schools following Mamdani\u2019s promises to shake up the educational system, \u201cwhether they can afford it, or barely afford it.\u201d<\/p>\n The 34-year-old mayor has floated axing the gifted and talented track for kindergartners<\/a>, which has faced criticism for not admitting many black and Latino students. <\/p>\n Mayor Zohran Mamdani has proposed several changes to the NYC education system. William Farrington for NY Post<\/p>\n Proponents of the program have argued getting rid of the classes would eliminate opportunities for thousands of students from low- and middle-income families.<\/p>\n He has also discussed making class sizes smaller by hiring more than 10,000 new teachers \u2013 which would require up to $700 million in fresh funding<\/a> \u2013 and integrating the school system<\/a>, which remains largely segregated by race and economic status.<\/p>\n