What unites these communities? Wealth. While affordable urban Catholic schools have disappeared in Boston and the Gateway Cities, often replaced by charter schools, some of Boston’s higher-income suburbs have seen a boost in private school enrollment. Some others, like Weston and Andover, have had declines but continue to send more children to private schools than the state average.
Harvard education professor Richard Murnane, who has studied long-term trends in private school enrollment alongside Stanford’s Sean Reardon, found that across the Northeast, the pattern repeats: while private school access was always unequal, wealthy families today are much more likely to send their children to private schools than are low-income or middle-class families.
“Spending for educational opportunities for your children is one way that the affluent are able to pass their wealth onto their children,” Murnane said. “It contributes to reducing intergenerational mobility.”
Many of Massachusetts’ elite private schools charge sticker price tuition over $70,000 for a school year per student. But some families who would otherwise be locked out can send their children to those schools, with the help of financial aid policies. Some schools claim to meet 100 percent of families’ needs and tout their average tuition grants. Using their publicly reported figures on the percentage of students receiving aid, their enrollment numbers, average grants, and total grants, the average real tuition can be estimated for each school.
In each case below, the average family paid about 60 to 80 percent of full freight, with costs ranging from about $41,000 to $60,000.
Here’s how much the average family pays per student:
Phillips Academy Andover (grades 9-12) — Andover
2024–25 tuition: $73,780 (boarding); $57,190 (day)
The average student pays about $42,000.
Cushing Academy (9-12) — Ashburnham
2024–25 tuition: $75,500 (boarding); $51,050 (day)
The average student pays about $58,000.
Belmont Hill School (7-12) — Belmont
2024–25 tuition: $73,800 (boarding); $64,800 (day)
The average student pays about $41,000.
Middlesex School (9-12) — Concord
2024–25 tuition: $75,475 (boarding); $61,270 (day)
The average student pays about $45,000.
Deerfield Academy (9-12) — Deerfield
2024–25 tuition: $71,770 (boarding); $51,510 (day)
The average student pays about $41,000.
Williston Northampton School (7-12) — Easthampton
2024–25 tuition: $76,600 (boarding); $52,800 (day); $42,500 (middle school)
The average student pays about $51,000.
Northfield Mount Hermon (9-12) — Gill
2024–25 tuition: $74,826 (boarding); $49,751 (day)
The average student pays about $53,000.
Milton Academy (K-12) — Milton
2024–25 tuition: $75,980 (boarding); $65,980 (day)
The average student pays $52,000.
Brooks School (9-12) — North Andover
2024–25 tuition: $77,100 (boarding); $63,300 (day)
The average student pays $55,110.
St. Mark’s School (9-12) — Southborough
2024–25 tuition: $76,100 (boarding); $60,500 (day)
The average student pays $56,129.
Berkshire School (9-12) — Sheffield
2024–25 tuition: $76,100 (boarding); $57,400 (day)
The average student pays $60,000.
Dana Hall School (5-12) — Wellesley
2024–25 tuition: $74,977 (boarding); $60,809 (day)
The average student pays about $51,000.
Cambridge School of Weston (9-12) — Weston
2024–25 tuition: $75,200 (boarding); $60,850 (day)
The average student pays about $52,000.
Christopher Huffaker can be reached at christopher.huffaker@globe.com. Follow him @huffakingit.