Young wealthy individuals and new parents have a different perspective on life when it comes to spending money on lifestyle and comfort. Lavishness is the new normal for these elite groups of society. For such affluent families, their child’s education is a worthwhile investment. They look for schools that can match their level of eliteness so their child’s designer wardrobe and imported cars.
If you are one such parent or student looking for the most expensive schools in the world before you enroll for a quality education, here is the list you need to check out. Most of these schools are world-renowned for their diverse curriculum, high educational standards, outstanding extracurricular activities along with many lavish benefits which you won’t get in all the ordinary schools.
Most Expensive Schools in the World
Don’t be afraid to enroll your kid in a boarding school abroad if you look forward to getting an unrivaled and affluent education for them. It is also a chance to build connections with star kids and children from billionaires and royal families. Here are some of the world’s most expensive schools and boarding schools.
What are Boarding Schools?
To define, a boarding school is a 24-hour education community designed for students to gain academic learning along with overall development. The intellectual stimulation in boarding schools goes the extra mile above and beyond the classroom knowledge, unlike your regular schools. Besides exposing students to leadership skills, boarding schools also equip them for social life making them independent and better managers.
Belonging to elite families, your children need these niche skills other than plain schooling. This is when a good boarding school comes into the picture and you can choose to enroll your offspring to any of these top boarding schools in the world. They are not only the most expensive but also ones with extreme lavishness and a vibe to match your child’s.
World’s Most Expensive and Elite Schools
Switzerland is the home to some of the world’s most expensive schools. In fact, the top 10 costliest schools on this list are from Switzerland. Based on their average annual tuition fees, here are some of the top schools you can choose from in the world. Check out all the amenities and benefits they offer before admitting your child to any of them.
1) Institut auf dem Rosenberg, Switzerland
Average annual tuition fee: $176,000 per year
Institut auf dem Rosenberg holds the title of being the world’s most expensive school but it is also one of the best boarding schools in the world. Founded in 1889, it is a privately owned and operated boarding school based in St. Gallen, Switzerland. The school was formerly named “Institut Dr. Schmidt” and it provides exceptional facilities and academic offerings. It is a legacy known for providing top-tier education with a unique approach toward academics based entirely on personalized experience.
Rosenberg has a ratio of teaching only 8 students per class. Each student is given a specific academic program tailored to their needs and goals keeping in consideration their interest in sports, art, and entrepreneurship. The school also flaunts the oldest private-school gym in Switzerland. Its alumni list has some famous names including the mathematician Walter Rudin, the Prince of Hohenzollern, fashion designer and actress Chiara Ohoven, and Nobel Prize winner Mexican chemist Mario Molina.
2) Institut Le Rosey, Switzerland
Average annual tuition fee: $167,000
The “School of the Kings” is one of the oldest boarding schools in Switzerland established in the 14th Century. Institut Le Rosey holds the pride of having taught kings from various countries – King Fuad II of Egypt, King Juan Carlos of Spain, King Albert II of Belgium, and a few more. In general, the school has a legacy of producing aristocratic nobility by educating the offspring of kings, queens, and presidents.
Le Rosey is one of the world’s most exclusive and prestigious schools in the world with premium facilities including a school yacht, two swimming pools, an equestrian center, and even 30 horses. The second most expensive boarding school in the world has two lavish campuses – one in Rolle and one in Gstaad. It has a ratio of 420 students to 150 teachers and it adapts a bilingual approach of teaching students from over 60 countries in English and French.
3) Collège Alpin Beau Soleil, Switzerland
Average annual tuition fee: $143,000
Founded in 1910, Collège Alpin Beau Soleil is an international boarding school that sits beautifully in the lap of the Swiss Alps. It accommodates students from the age group of 11 to 18 and enrolls only up to 300 students from over 50 countries. The top-tier institution is a beautiful place to study with evolving education trends and an academic curriculum taught in English and French. Beau Soleil offers wonderful chances of exploration to its students. It encourages adventurous extracurricular activities including ice skating, boxing, horseback riding, skiing, snowboarding, paragliding, river rafting, and whatnot. Being nestled among the natural surroundings, students can also enjoy offbeat activities such as bird-watching and yoga.
Collège Alpin Beau Soleil follows a ratio of 1 teacher for every 4 students. The famous alumni of the school include names like Princess Marie of Denmark and Prince Félix of Luxembourg. Besides, the school has also educated some sports personalities including Canadian Formula 1 driver Jacques Villeneuve, Irish-British horse racing commentator Peter O’Sullevan, and Russian figure skater Anna Ovcharova.
4) Aiglon College, Switzerland
Average annual tuition fee: $140,845
Aiglon College is one of the top schools in the world. It is located in Villars-sur-Ollon situated in the Swiss Alps. The school follows a British teaching and learning model offering International Baccalaureate and IGCSE qualifications. It emphasizes hard work with a focus on physical, social, and emotional development. It offers state-of-the-art amenities to students belonging to affluent backgrounds. It has a huge list of notable alumni including Patricia Gucci, a British businesswoman; Gordon Guillaumier, an Italian designer; Michel Gill, an American actor; Shashi Batra, the co-founder of Sephora; Abhishek Bachchan, an Indian actor, and many more.
Aiglon follows a ratio of 1 teacher assigned to every 3 students. Being situated in nature, it offers several outdoor exploration opportunities to students. They can indulge in hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, skiing, kayaking, and whatnot. Besides, the school also offers world-class facilities in the field of music and drama for students to pursue their passions open-heartedly.
5) La Garenne International School, Switzerland
Average annual tuition fee: $130,530
La Garenne International School is one of the oldest international schools in Switzerland, owned and managed by the two generations of the Méan family. The school is set in a ski resort in Villars-sur-Ollon located on a sunny plateau of the charming Swiss Alps. It is dedicated to fresh batches of youngsters aged from 5 to 18. La Garenne provides personal attention and individualized care to these kids so their learnings can last for generations.
Every academic year, La Garenne on-boards about 120 students from over 35 countries and it teaches in both English and French with the former being its official language. Besides academics, the school also focuses on extracurricular activities prioritising sports such as golf, athletics, pedal, snowboarding, skiing, etc. It also enhances the creative angle in the young crowd by offering drama, dance, and music expeditions. It also encourages international trips, charity initiatives, and action projects.
6) George’s International School, Switzerland
Average annual tuition fee: $126,520
St. George’s International School of Switzerland is among the richest boarding schools in the world and is also one of the top International Baccalaureate (IB) schools in Switzerland. Founded by Oxford University graduates, the school is spread across a nearly 12-acre campus. It admits up to 500 students from over 60 countries every academic year. The school prioritizes individualized learning and is focused on academic achievement along with the physical and mental well-being of its students.
A member of the Inspired Education Group, St. George’s is located on the shores of Lake Léman. It offers an academic curriculum in English and French. It on-boards students in the age range from 18 months to 18 years old. The premium international school is known for its academic excellence with a 100% pass rate. Some of its alumni include the American actress, Glenn Close and the businesswoman Christina Onassis.
7) Leysin American School (LAS), Switzerland
Average annual tuition fee: $119,380
Want to spend your weekends exploring European countries? Enroll in Leysin American School located on the alpine campus in Leysin, Switzerland. Established in 1960, LAS aims to cultivate students to be inventive and globally engaged as they grow toward becoming great versions of themselves. The boarding school admits somewhere around 300 students from across the world and is one of those schools that conduct their academics only in English. Leysin offers ESL, IB, and US High School Diploma certificates. It also emphasizes university counseling to prepare students in grades ranging from 7 to 12 aiming for the top universities in the world.
Besides traditional classes, LAS provides students with experiential learning opportunities with programs like LASER (short for LAS Educational Research) wherein international academic innovators and collaborators work with LAS faculty for student academic program development and improvement. The LAS family comprises world-class teachers from around the globe along with 7000+ alumni including the famous chocolatier Justine Pringle Laird, the American alpinist John Harlin, etc.
8) Collège du Léman, Switzerland
Average annual tuition fee: $112,480
The Swiss boarding school is one of the most expensive schools in Switzerland. Located in Geneva, Collège du Léman is a prestigious school dedicated to academic excellence and global citizenship of its students. The 20-acre campus is a stunning green space by the banks of Lake Geneva adjacent to the Swiss Alps. Founded in 1960, the school offers high standards and exclusivity with precision to match the eliteness of its students and their family backgrounds.
Collège du Léman enrolls pupils from over 110 nationalities belonging to the 2 to 18-year-old age group. It offers exceptional facilities and helps them build communities to encourage individual success and global thinking. The curriculum offerings here include French Baccalaureate, American High School Diploma, IB, Cambridge IGCSE, and Swiss Matura. It follows a ratio of 1 teacher for every 9 students. Its notable alumni include names like Fred Mouawad, a Lebanese business tycoon; Walter Kortschak, an American venture capitalist; and İlker İnanoğlu, a Turkish actor.
9) Le Régent International School, Switzerland
Average annual tuition fee: $104,700
Le Régent is the youngest and the most luxurious international boarding school with one of the most modern campuses located in the heart of the Crans-Montana. The rich diversity of the school welcomes a community of 250+ students from over 50 countries. The truly Swiss and truly international school offers a challenging curriculum along with outdoor learning opportunities for students to become future-ready for leadership roles.
Founded in 2015, Le Régent International School offers modern learning with extracurricular activities including sports like golf and surfing, arts, drama, outdoor expeditions, and humanitarian projects. The ultra-modern campus is built on a 1’500m space and integrated with unrivaled facilities. It provides IB and Le Régent Graduation Diploma following a ratio of 1 teacher per 4 students for a personalized teaching and learning experience.
10) The American School in Switzerland (TASIS)
Average annual tuition fee: $104,045
TASIS Switzerland is a private day and boarding school located in the Canton of Ticino. It is a community of a primary school, a high school, and a middle school. It has one of the most noteworthy campuses in Switzerland made in a vintage 17th Century mansion. Besides being timeless, the school is one of the oldest American residential schools in Europe which was established in 1956.
TASIS encourages learning through travel and promotes global citizenship for its students. It is an educational institution for pupils in the age group from Kindergarten to post-grad. It enrolls approx. 750 students every academic year belonging to 60+ countries and speaking 30+ languages. The day and boarding school provides American High School Diploma and IB and has a ratio of 1 faculty for every 6 students. The famous alumni of the school include names like celebrity attorney Laura Wasser; Gossip Girl and Inferno fame Jennifer Missoni; co-founder of Hard Rock Café Isaac Tigrett; and Ferit Şahenk, one of the richest people in Turkey.
11) THINK Global School (TGS), USA
Average annual tuition fee: $94,050
New York’s THINK Global School is a unique setup with an independent educational institution traveling the world with its students. While you are enrolled in TGS, you can live in 4 different countries each year and learn while you make connections with the world around you. Students from over 20 countries come here to one of the top boarding schools in the world to gain distinctive learning experiences.
TGS offers a place-based and project-based ‘Changemaker’ curriculum as the students get to engage with people and cultures while they are on their academic journey. This one-of-a-kind education nurtures their minds in their teenage years and empowers them to become global citizens. It follows a 4:1 student-teacher ratio. TGS is called the “world’s first traveling high school” for all the right reasons.
12) Albans School (STA), USA
Average annual tuition fee: $78,200
One of the top-rated boarding schools in the world, St. Albans School (STA) is situated in Washington, D.C. It is an independent all-boys boarding school. It welcomes boys from grades 4 to 12 belonging to various nationalities and backgrounds. The school emphasizes on values of compassion and respect while it educates its boys toward academic excellence. It equips them to become graduates who can handle the demands of colleges and universities worldwide when they move out.
Albans, the college-preparatory day school offers challenging academic programs that help students grow not just academically but also on a moral and spiritual front letting them be a part of a caring community dedicated to society. STA enrolls over 500 students every year and follows a ratio of one teacher for every 9 students. Its alumni include Michael Collins, the famous astronaut; Malcolm Baker, a former Olympic rower; James Bennet, a journalist and editor in The Economist and The New York Times; and many more.
13) Phillips Academy – Andover, USA
Average annual tuition fee: $69,600
Phillips Academy, located in Andover, is one of the oldest high schools in the US. It is a private co-ed day and boarding school situated in Massachusetts, 25 miles north of Boston. It was founded in 1778 with the belief that every student should be given a fair and equal opportunity to acquire knowledge and develop himself. The academy is an educational institution dedicated to inclusivity and excellence offering a diversified approach for an impartial environment. The old school campus includes a Gelb Science Center (a science observatory), an art museum, and even a wildlife sanctuary.
Phillips Academy enrolls students from grades 9 through 12. It admits nearly 1,150 pupils per academic year including postgrad students. It follows a student-to-teacher ratio of 6:1 ensuring a personalized approach dedicated to diversity and mutual respect in the learning environment. It has one of the richest alumni on the list with President George H. W. Bush, President George W. Bush, the father of American landscape architecture Frederick Law Olmsted, and the CEO of Fox Corporation Lachlan Murdoch being among its past students.
14) Hurtwood House School, UK
Average annual tuition fee: $67,300
Hurtwood House School is a distinct educational institution located in London; distinct because it blends contemporary education and established traditions with a modern style of teaching. It is one of the most expensive boarding schools in the world. It is an independent co-ed admitting students in the age range between 15 and 19 years old. Founded in 1970, Hurtwood admits around 360 students each year with a nearly equal split between boys and girls.
Hurtwood House students are benefitted with a smooth and secure transition between school and university with the groundbreaking education and policies of the school. It offers some pre-university courses to students in the 16-19 age group for this. Specializing in the 6th form, Hurtwood House thus ensures the perfect stepping stone for further studies for its pupils. Its hall of fame includes many well-known names starting from the world-renowned actresses Emily Blunt, Emily Beecham, and Amelia Curtis to the Crown Prince of Malaysia, Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra.
15) Phillips Exeter Academy (PEA), USA
Average annual tuition fee: $64,800
Planning to be the next Mark Zuckerberg? This is where the face of FaceBook did his schooling. Phillips Exeter Academy is a private and independent college-preparatory residential school in New Hampshire. The co-ed school admits around 1000 students from 35+ different countries and nationalities. Exeter follows a ratio of having 1 teacher for every 5 students at the school to ensure a high-quality personalized academic experience. It offers more than 18 subject areas specializing in 450+ courses.
PEA educates around 1,100 pupils from grades 9-12 including post-grad students. It is also one of the wealthiest boarding schools in the country and has the largest high school library in the world. Besides the Meta founder, it has some notable names in its alumni such as the 14th U.S. President Franklin Pierce, the co-founder of Quora Adam D’Angelo, many actors including the famous Mr. Tiny Michael Cerveris, and several Nobel Prize winners in economics.
We have made a detailed video on the Most Expensive Schools in the World discussing all this and many more. Check it out here:
Wrapping Up the World’s Most Expensive Schools
As we’ve journeyed through the dazzling corridors of the most expensive schools in the world, it is clear that these institutions represent far more than just educational excellence. They symbolize privilege, opportunity, and ambition. Each school on this list offers a uniquely curated experience, tailored to nurture young minds while equipping them with tools to shape the future.
Whether nestled amidst Swiss mountain ranges or set within the historical grandeur of English castles, the world’s most expensive schools stand as proof of the lengths some affluent families go to secure an unparalleled education for their children. These schools have mastered the art of blending academics, state-of-the-art facilities, and bespoke extracurriculars into a holistic learning environment. They’re not merely about creating graduates but crafting global citizens capable of innovating and leading the world.
These elite schools captivate us with their opulence and legacy. It’s not just about the resources or the labels but the ability to inspire greatness and instill a lifelong love for learning. After all, no matter where you stand, the true value of education lies in its power to shape minds, touch hearts, and transform lives.
