by Updated on | $ Public Schools: Free + $2-200+ Fees | $ $ Private Day Schools: $5,000-$35,000+ tuition | $ $ $ Boarding Schools: $20,000-$75,000+ |
Nowadays, both public and private schools offer middle schools for sixth, seventh and eighth grades.
Typical Costs
Public middle schools get support by state and federal government funding, and thus no tuition is charged.
However, fees are charged for textbooks and classroom supplies, physical education and clubs, technology and they range from $2-$200 or more per item.
As a rule, fee waivers are secured for economically disadvantaged families.
Newton Public Schools in Massachusetts, for example, charges a middle school student activity fee of $60, or $100 for drama classes, and an athletics fee of $160 per sport with a family cap of $480.
At the same time, Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 in Illinois applies middle school fees starting from $5 for a PE lock to $150 for textbooks, including $50 for interscholastic sports, $66 for chorus and $92 for a band.
The tuition at the private middle schools ranges between $5,000-$35,000 or more, depending on the reputation and teaching style of the school, the focus – religious or nonsectarian, the teachers to pupils ratio, the location.
Members of the National Association of Independent Schools apply an average median middle school tuition of $19,449.
The middle-school tuition at Tampa Preparatory School in Florida varies between $18,340-$19,550, based on the payment plan.
Detroit Country Day School in Michigan charges $25,600, while the middle school tuition at Sidwell Friends School in Washington DC is $34,268.
The average parish tuition through eighth grade is estimated by The National Catholic Education Association to be $3,673.
Saint Joseph Academy in Bogota, NJ, has a tuition fee of $7,980, or $4,100 in case the family covers some fund-raising requirements.
The tuition fee at Faith Lutheran Middle School in Las Vegas, NV is $9,700, and the one at Valley Christian School in San Jose CA is $13,991.
The fee at the boarding school for middle school students ranges from $20,000 to $75,000 or more.
According to The National Association of Independent Schools, its members charge an average median middle school tuition for boarding school of $22,240.
At the same time, Landmark School in Massachusetts, focus on students with learning disabilities, charges tuition of $64,200 for residential students.
Additional Costs
Before and after school programs for working parents cost $100-$500 or more per month at public schools and $300-$800 or more monthly at private schools.
This service might be free for low-income students.
School uniform is required by all private schools and some public schools.
They cost $25-$200 per outfit for a uniform of standardised clothing from a variety of retailers, or $100-$500 or more per outfit in case the specific uniform items are coming from an official provider.
Parents are either responsible for securing the transportation to a private school, or they pay $300-$2,000 or more.
Ravenscroft in Raleigh, NC, for example, charges annual bus fees of $360-$1,750, based on the student’s location.
The average price of a public school lunch is $2.08 and $3.42 for a bag lunch, based on information by the School Nutrition Association.
Free or reduced lunch is secured for low-income students.
Lunch could be part of the tuition at some private schools, or there may be an annual charge of $500-$1,000 or more.
For example, the Swain School in Allentown, PA charges $955 for middle-school lunches.
Discounts
- Sibling discount is secured at many private schools for several students from a family.
- Saint Joseph Academy in Bogota, NJ, for example, charges standard tuition of $7,980 for the one child, $11,760 for two children and $17,320 for three.
- BabyCenter.com provides tips on how to get financial help for private school tuition.
Shopping for Middle School
- Go on a campus tour, find out the class sizes, check the educational philosophy.
- PBS.org provides a list of advice for choosing a middle school.
- Pay attention to the local public schools or members of the National Association of Independent Schools, National Catholic Educational Association or Association of Waldorf Schools of North America.
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