NYC private school tuition reportedly soars past $70K per year: Definite sticker shock

New York City private school tuition has soared past $70,000 per year – as desperate parents increasingly flee the lagging public school system.The Spence School; the Dalton School; the Nightingale-Bamford School, famously the inspiration for “Gossip Girl”; and at least five other Big Apple private schools charged more than $70,000 in tuition for the 2026-27 year, according to a Bloomberg analysis of school disclosures.Avenues in Chelsea – where Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ daughter Suri Cruise previously attended – topped the list with eye-watering tuition of $75,300, up $3,000 from the previous year and more expensive than many elite colleges, according to the report.The list includes some of the most exclusive schools in the country.Mick Jagger’s daughter Jade Jagger attended Spence before transferring to an English boarding school, while famous Dalton School alumni include Anderson Cooper, Chevy Chase, Sean Lennon and Claire Danes.A number of schools outside the top seven priciest ones still charged jaw-dropping tuition, with Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School charging $69,960 and Horace Mann School, a cool $68,700.Tuition fees at 15 private city schools jumped a median of 4.7% – outpacing the New York metro area’s 3.4% inflation rate as of December and national inflation figures, according to the most recently available government data.It’s a sharp increase from a median NYC tuition of $39,900 in 2014 – but schools have argued the rising fees are necessary to cover higher costs, particularly teacher salaries, and offer more financial aid to struggling families.Meanwhile, New York City public schools shed another 22,000 students in 2025, with enrollment plummeting 2.4% – the steepest decline in four years, according to the city’s Education Department.Eye-popping tuition costs are squeezing even the Big Apple’s highest earners, but for some families, “the numbers are what the numbers are, and they’re looking for a stellar e...