Avenues: The World School, a 14-year-old school in Chelsea, is the most expensive, with 2026-2027 tuition set at $75,300 for full-time nursery (age two) through grade 12, up about 4% from the current school year. That's $456 per day. It's not alone. Next year, tuition at eight New York City private schools will top $70,000, Bloomberg reported. By comparison, the average tuition of the National Association of Independent Schools' member schools is $33,361 this year. Public school is, of course, free.
Child care is just one piece of an interconnected web of affordability and education issues that influence whether families leave the city when they have children. Also in play: housing, availability of after-school programs, school quality, and navigating school admissions, whether for kindergarten or looking ahead to middle and high school. For many, having a second or third child also changes the calculus, several parents told Chalkbeat.
