By Niels Baardseth · Published June 20, 2026
DC Private School Tuition 2026 — 40+ Data Points on Costs, Financial Aid & the Affordability Gap
Washington, D.C. has the most expensive private-school market in the country relative to the nation, and the highest private-school participation rate of any state. This report compiles 40+ sourced data points on what DC private schools actually cost in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years — per-school tuition, district averages, multi-year trends, financial aid, and how vouchers and family income stack up against the sticker price. Every per-school figure links to the school's own published rate.
Key takeaways
- The most expensive DC private school, Sidwell Friends, charges $59,920 for the Upper School in 2025-26 — just under the $60,000 threshold.
- DC's average private tuition is roughly $28,000–$30,000 for elementary and $36,000 for high school — about 1.9× the national average.
- ~20% of DC K-12 students attend private school — the highest share in the nation (national average ~9-10%).
- The federal DC Opportunity Scholarship voucher caps at $10,000 (K-8) and $15,000 (9-12) — a fraction of elite tuition, leaving a $35,000-$45,000 gap at the top schools.
- At the richest schools, 23-35% of students receive need-based aid, with average grants of $35,000-$38,000.
Per-school tuition: DC's most expensive private schools (2025-26 / 2026-27)
Annual tuition for the highest grade offered, from each school's own published rates.
| School | Type | Highest-grade tuition | School year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sidwell Friends | Independent (Quaker), K-12 | $59,920 | 2025-26 | Sidwell Horizon |
| National Cathedral School | Episcopal, girls 4-12 | $56,920 | 2025-26 | ncs.org |
| Georgetown Day School | Independent, PK-12 | $56,217 | 2025-26 | gds.org |
| St. Albans School | Episcopal, boys 4-12 | $58,476 | 2025-26 | stalbansschool.org |
| Maret School | Independent, K-12 | $53,545 | 2025-26 | maret.org |
| Washington International School | Independent (IB), PK-12 | ~$51,710 | 2025-26 | wis.edu |
| St. Anselm's Abbey School | Catholic (Benedictine), boys 6-12 | $41,500 | 2026-27 | saintanselms.org |
| Georgetown Visitation | Catholic, girls 9-12 | $40,750 | 2026-27 | visi.org |
| Beauvoir | Episcopal elementary, PK-3 | $37,500 | 2025-26 | beauvoirschool.org |
| Gonzaga College High School | Catholic (Jesuit), boys 9-12 | $35,460 | 2026-27 | gonzaga.org |
| St. John's College High School | Catholic, co-ed 9-12 | $29,950 | 2026-27 | stjohnschs.org |
| Archbishop Carroll High School | Catholic, co-ed 9-12 | $18,888 | 2025-26 | archbishopcarroll.org |
The spread is stark: a Catholic high school like Archbishop Carroll ($18,888) costs less than a third of Sidwell Friends ($59,920). The elite independent and Episcopal schools cluster between $53,000 and $60,000; Jesuit and diocesan Catholic high schools run $29,000-$41,000.
Catholic parochial elementary schools: the affordable tier
The Archdiocese of Washington's parish elementary schools are dramatically cheaper, and most offer reduced in-parish rates:
| School | Tuition | School year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Augustine Catholic School (PK-8) | $6,750 flat (after $7,250 parish subsidy) | 2026-27 | staug-dc.org |
| St. Peter School (PK-8) — in-parish | $15,140 | 2025-26 | PrivateSchoolReview |
| St. Peter School (PK-8) — out-of-parish | $19,240 | 2025-26 | PrivateSchoolReview |
| Archdiocese of Washington — all DC Catholic schools, average | $18,668 | 2026 | PrivateSchoolReview |
DC parish schools use two models: a flat rate plus a parish subsidy (St. Augustine), or explicit in-parish / out-of-parish tiers (St. Peter). Catholic schoolsare 46% of DC's religiously affiliated private schools — the single largest affordable on-ramp to private education in the District.
DC averages vs the national average
| Metric | DC | National | Year / source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average private tuition (overall) | $28,324 | $14,879 | 2026 · PrivateSchoolReview |
| Average elementary tuition | $30,034 | $13,908 | 2026 · PrivateSchoolReview |
| Average high-school tuition | $36,410 | $17,919 | 2026 · PrivateSchoolReview |
| Share of K-12 students in private school | ~20% (highest in U.S.) | ~9% | Fall 2021 · NCES |
| Student-teacher ratio | 8:1 | 11:1 | 2025 · PrivateSchoolReview |
DC's average private tuition runs roughly 1.9× the national average. By state-level ranking, DC sits second only to Connecticut ($28,501) as the most expensive private-school market in the country (PrivateSchoolReview). According to NCES, about 20% of DC's K-12 students attend private school — the highest rate of any state or territory, more than double the national share.
Tuition is rising fast
DC's average private tuition climbed from $21,855 in 2015 to $27,957 in 2025 — roughly a 28% increase over the decade (PrivateSchoolReview). Nationally, NAIS member-school tuition grew from $14,622 in 2004 to $31,088 in 2024, a compound rate near 3.9% per year (SAIS/NAIS FastStats). In 2024-25, nearly half of day-school families nationally saw increases of 7% or more — the largest in a decade.
At the top of the DC market, Sidwell Friends raised tuition 4% across all grades for 2025-26, pushing the Upper School to $59,920; the school's own student paper projected that a current kindergartener could face ~$75,000 by high school if the trend holds (Sidwell Horizon).
Putting $60,000 in context
| Comparison | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sidwell Upper School tuition | $59,920 | Sidwell Horizon |
| DC in-state public university tuition & fees | $6,348/yr | Education Data Initiative |
| → Sidwell costs 9.4× DC in-state public college | — | — |
| US median household income (2024) | $83,730 | US Census |
| → One year of Sidwell ≈ 72% of US median income | — | — |
| DC median household income (2024) | $109,707 | US Census / ACS |
| → One year of Sidwell ≈ 55% of DC median income | — | — |
A single year at DC's most expensive school costs more than nine years of in-state public-college tuition, and consumes more than half of a typical DC household's entire annual income.
Financial aid: who actually pays full price
The elite schools discount heavily for those who qualify. Need-based aid (no merit scholarships at most) at major DC schools:
| School | % on aid | Average grant / notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Cathedral School | 25% | avg $38,237 (range 5-98% of tuition) | ncs.org |
| Sidwell Friends | 23% | avg $37,700; $10M+ total | sidwell.edu |
| Georgetown Day School | 24% | avg $36,400; $9.6M total | gds.org |
| Maret | 25% | avg grant $35,255 (~73% of tuition) | maret.org |
| St. Albans | ~30% | $6.4M total; avg grant ~69% of tuition | stalbansschool.org |
| Gonzaga | 35% | $5.4M awarded annually | gonzaga.org |
| Georgetown Visitation | 33% | ~$3M total; up to 75% of cost | visi.org |
| Edmund Burke | 33% | avg award >$20,000; $2.3M total | burkeschool.org |
| Beauvoir | 20% | $1.8M total (range ~3-97%) | beauvoirschool.org |
District-wide, member schools of the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington awarded more than $190 million in need-based aid to over 7,000 students in 2025-26, averaging 16.7% of schools' gross tuition (AISGW). Nationally, about 24% of independent-school students receive tuition assistance (NAIS).
The voucher gap and the affordability squeeze
The federal DC Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) is the District's main private-school voucher. For 2025-26 it caps at $10,000 for grades K-8 and $15,000 for grades 9-12 (Serving Our Children), the program's official administrator. Those caps cover the cheapest parochial schools — but fall $35,000-$45,000 short of elite independent tuition, and below even the DC average. OSP pays tuition first; families cover the remainder.
The result is a barbell market. Private school in DC is accessible at two ends — parish Catholic schools under $20,000, and elite schools with deep need-based aid for those who qualify — while middle-income families who earn too much for aid but can't absorb a $55,000 sticker are squeezed out. NAIS has flagged that rising costs are outpacing family income growth, putting independent schools out of reach for the middle (SAIS/NAIS).
Demographics track the cost. DC private schools are markedly whiter than DCPS: one ProPublica analysis put the white-student share at 59-79% at several DC private schools versus 39% in DCPS, though the most-aided elite schools are more diverse (Sidwell 29% white) (Washington Informer). Private-school enrollment is heavily concentrated in Ward 3, where roughly 44% of students attend private school (DC Policy Center).
How to use this data
If you're comparing schools, start with the full DC private schools directory, then check individual school profiles for current rates — tuition changes yearly, and the figures here reflect each school's most recently published numbers. For the public alternative, see DC public charter schools (tuition-free) and the DCPS calendar and enrollment guides.
Compiled by DCSchools.com from each school's published tuition pages, NCES, the US Census, AISGW, and Serving Our Children. Figures are for the 2025-26 or 2026-27 school year as published; verify directly with each school before making financial decisions. Last updated June 2026.
Sources
- School tuition pages: Sidwell Horizon, National Cathedral School, Georgetown Day School, St. Albans, Maret, Washington International School, St. Anselm's Abbey, Georgetown Visitation, Beauvoir, Gonzaga, St. John's College HS, Archbishop Carroll, St. Augustine
- Aggregates & comparison: NCES Private School Enrollment, PrivateSchoolReview DC, Education Data Initiative, SAIS/NAIS FastStats, US Census
- Aid & access: AISGW, Serving Our Children (OSP), DC Policy Center, Washington Informer