In short
Ten of America’s best-known private schools published their 2026-27 costs on their own websites. We found that, between them, the median boarding cost is $78,340 a year, counting required fees. The lowest sticker price among them is $62,740. Maharishi School is $42,000 for domestic boarding. For international, we’re at $47,000. (International students must also carry health insurance as a condition of enrollment.) Every school in the comparison, ours included, holds an A+ overall grade on Niche. In other words, we’re all academically competitive.
What you’ll get here
Affordability is a critically important part of selecting the right school for your student. It’s helpful to understand what you get—and don’t—for the price.
Whether you’re shopping for day school, or an international or domestic boarding program, at a certain point, for most, the decision boils down to cost and affordability.
Below you’ll find a comparative list of some of the top-rated private schools in America, including ours. You’ll find a few easily scannable price comparison charts and additional fees associated with enrollment for both day and boarding students.
Why this
Maharishi School offers day school for students PreK–grade 12, as well as domestic and international boarding for grades 9-12.
On a recent recruiting trip in Europe, a family asked our Enrollment Director an important and familiar question. They asked what, as an American boarding school, our tuition costs are. She gave them the number. They did a double take and asked her to repeat it.
They didn’t ask because it seemed high. It was quite the opposite.
Boarding, grades 9 to 12
We’ve taken a look into some of the top boarding schools’ 2026-27 annual boarding costs. These numbers are publicly available on the schools’ respective websites. These have been sorted from highest to lowest cost.
| School | State | Boarding 2026-27 | Niche grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Lawrenceville School | NJ | $82,710 | A+ |
| Deerfield Academy | MA | $79,940 | A+ |
| Milton Academy | MA | $79,900 | A+ |
| Phillips Academy Andover | MA | $79,800 | A+ |
| The Hotchkiss School | CT | $79,350 * | A+ |
| St. Paul’s School | NH | $75,400 * | A+ |
| Choate Rosemary Hall | CT | $73,530 * | A+ |
| Phillips Exeter Academy | NH | $71,797 | A+ |
| Cranbrook Schools | MI | $63,000 | A+ |
| Groton School | MA | $62,740 | A+ |
| Maharishi School | IA | $42,000 domestic $47,000 international | A+ |
* Charges required fees on top of tuition: Hotchkiss adds $1,450, St. Paul’s $1,480, Choate $1,000. The table shows each school’s published tuition (its sticker price); the median adds the required fees listed with tuition. Insurance, deposits, course materials and optional charges are not counted for any school, ours included. Our figure has no required fees on top of it. What you see is what you get.
The median cost on this list, counting required fees, is $78,340. Maharishi School sits well below that, at $36,340 below the median annually. That’s for a domestic boarding student. For international boarding, we’re $31,340 below the median annually. Across four years of high school that’s $145,360 and $125,360.
Overall, that places our domestic boarding at $20,740 below the lowest sticker price on the A+ rated list.
Domestic boarding families can also apply for aid through FACTS Grant & Aid. At the maximum, 40% off, a year could cost families with financial need $25,200.
Day students, grades 9 to 12
Here we’re comparing the same schools, from the same sources. This is for the day rate instead. Take note that St. Paul’s is all-boarding and has no day program, so it is not included in the list.
| School | State | Day 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|
| Milton Academy | MA | $69,900 |
| The Lawrenceville School | NJ | $68,060 |
| The Hotchkiss School | CT | $67,450 * |
| Phillips Academy Andover | MA | $63,840 |
| Deerfield Academy | MA | $57,850 |
| Choate Rosemary Hall | CT | $56,610 * |
| Phillips Exeter Academy | NH | $56,077 |
| Groton School | MA | $48,850 |
| Cranbrook Schools | MI | $45,800 |
| Maharishi School | IA | $20,475 |
* Hotchkiss adds $1,250 in required fees, Choate $1,000.
The median from this list is $57,850. Maharishi School’s high school day tuition is $37,375 less. All told, that adds up to only $81,900 for all four years, compared to $231,400 (at the median rate).
K-8, the three K-12 schools
Most of the famous names start at grade 9. But the students have to start somewhere! Below we’ve compared only three schools that run from kindergarten through grade 12. This makes them comparable peer schools.
| Grade band | Milton Academy | Cranbrook Schools | Maharishi School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | $50,500 | $29,600 | $8,225 |
| Grades 1-5 | $50,500 (1-3) $54,500 (4-5) | $35,300 | $9,925 |
| Grades 6-8 | $68,500 | $38,600 | $12,875 |
Milton and Cranbrook both appear above us on Niche’s 2027 Best Boarding K-12 Schools in America ranking, where we sit at #12 of 114. Some of their sixth graders pay five times what ours do.
What is Iowa ESA and what it does to the numbers
This is specific to Iowa residents. Iowa’s Education Savings Account (ESA) is a government program that provides private school tuition to residents, regardless of income. At the time of writing this, the ESA provides $8,148 per student for 2026-27. This applies to grades K through 12. Here’s what it looks like when applied to our day tuition (annually):
| Grade band | Tuition | After ESA |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | $8,225 | $77 |
| Grades 1-5 | $9,925 | $1,777 |
| Grades 6-8 | $12,875 | $4,727 |
| Grades 9-12 | $20,475 | $12,327 |
You read that right. Our A+ rated kindergarten is only seventy-seven dollars for the year. It’s not a typo!
If you’re interested in learning more, we wrote an article on how the ESA works. Just this year, a new half-year application became available. That runs from October 15th until November 15th, 2026, and covers half the annual amount ($4,074). This is beneficial to those wanting to enter during the spring entry.
But do the ratings actually hold up?
Super fair question. Here’s the precise answer rather than the flattering one.
Where we genuinely stand with the other schools. Niche gives us an A+ overall, with an A+ in academics, college prep and diversity. That’s the same overall grade as every school in the table above holds. It’s impressive, and it’s earned. Our average class size is 12. We are #12 of 114 on Niche’s 2027 Best Boarding K-12 Schools in America. We have also been ranked #1 in Iowa for nine (9) years running (at the time of this writing). That spans private high school, private K-12, and boarding high school.
Where we miss the mark. On Niche’s Best Boarding High Schools list, the one with Exeter and Andover sitting at the top, we’re #75 of 438. That is, by all measures, great for a school our size. One likely reason we’re not higher in the ranks is sports. Those schools have fantastic sports programs and we don’t.
What you don’t get for $42,000
While Maharishi School has great academic ratings, high college acceptance rates, and everything a parent would look for when it comes to academics, there are some things we simply don’t offer (presently).
Here are some of the things you won’t get at Maharishi School.
- You don’t get a billion-dollar endowment. Exeter, Andover and comparable schools have them. That money buys facilities, renowned faculty, and need-blind financial aid budgets we can’t match right now. If your family needs a full ride, those schools can do things we simply can’t. As much as we’d love to.
- You don’t get the name. “Exeter” opens doors on your student’s resume. Maharishi School, not so much.
- You don’t get a two-hundred-year alumni network. Ours is real and it is loyal. It’s smaller, and growing.
- You don’t get a Division-I athletics pipeline. Our tennis program has produced 21 state champions over thirty years. Our football program…what football program? We simply focus elsewhere for peak performance.
What you do get
- 100% of our graduates go on to college: One third of our graduates attend a top-50 college or university.
- Average class size of about twelve. This allows our teachers to pay close attention. Something is off, we notice. When there’s a spark, we fan the flames.
- Project-based learning. Our students lead and learn by doing, experimenting, failing, learning and innovating. They lead their learning with their hands. They fully engage.
- Students from more than thirty countries. Diversity isn’t a checkbox, it just so happens the talent we attract comes from more than 30 countries. That puts us in the top 3% of most diverse private K-12 schools in the country. For an international family it matters practically: your child will not be the only one figuring out an American school from scratch.
- Twice a day, the whole school stops. Mid-morning and in the afternoons our students “hit a reset button,” as one student calls his meditation time, before continuing on with their academics.
Check all of this yourself
All the numbers from this page are publicly available and you can verify them for yourself.
- Each school’s own tuition page. You can search for a school’s name and the word “tuition.” The figures we pulled are from October 2026. Prices usually update in the spring.
- Niche.com. Search for any school. You’ll find their grades, rankings, and all the categories they rate for.
- Our page. Our Tuition and financial aid page covers all the information you’d need, plus it contains links to financial and contact forms etc. Everything is on display.
Your next step
And if the price is interesting enough that you want to see whether Maharishi School seems like a good match for you or your student, you can schedule a visit, send us an email, or give us a call at (641) 472-9400.
Sources: 2026-27 tuition figures published by Phillips Exeter Academy, Phillips Academy Andover, Groton School, St. Paul’s School, Choate Rosemary Hall, The Hotchkiss School, The Lawrenceville School, Deerfield Academy, Milton Academy and Cranbrook Schools on their own admission and financial aid pages, retrieved October 2026. School grades and rankings from Niche, 2026 and 2027 cycles. Iowa ESA amount from Iowa Department of Education. Maharishi School figures from our own published tuition schedule.
Common questions
How much does private boarding school cost in the US?
Among ten of America's best-known private schools, published 2026-27 boarding costs run from $62,740 to $82,710, with a median of $78,340 counting required fees. Maharishi School is $42,000 for domestic boarding and $47,000 for international students.
What is the most affordable highly rated private boarding school in America?
Compared with ten of America's best-known private schools, Maharishi School in Fairfield, Iowa is the lowest priced: $42,000 domestic and $47,000 international for 2026-27. That puts domestic boarding about $20,740 below the lowest sticker price among those ten, and it holds an A+ overall grade on Niche.
Why is Maharishi School so much less expensive?
Part of the difference is the lower cost of operating in rural Iowa and a smaller campus footprint. The tradeoff is real: no billion-dollar endowment, a smaller alumni network and limited athletics.
Does Maharishi School offer financial aid?
Yes. Domestic boarding families can receive up to 40% off tuition, room and board through FACTS Grant and Aid, which would take a $42,000 year to $25,200. The priority deadline is April 15.
How much is private school in Iowa after the ESA?
Iowa's Education Savings Account is $8,148 per student for 2026-27 with no income limit for grades K-12. Applied to Maharishi School day tuition that leaves $77 for kindergarten, $1,777 for grades 1-5, $4,727 for grades 6-8 and $12,327 for high school.
How is Maharishi School ranked nationally?
Niche places it #12 of 114 on the 2027 Best Boarding K-12 Schools in America list, and #1 in Iowa for private high school, private K-12 and boarding high school for nine consecutive years. On the broader Best Boarding High Schools list it is #75 of 438.
What does Maharishi School cost for international students?
International boarding is $47,000 for 2026-27, which includes room and board, academics, the ELL program, college counseling, textbooks, exam costs and lab fees. Health insurance is required for enrollment and is not included.
